


Betrayal

by Talon88



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emperor Darth Vader, F/M, Force Ghost Obi-Wan Kenobi, Imperial Luke Skywalker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:48:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 76,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22478929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talon88/pseuds/Talon88
Summary: What if Luke made some very different decisions during the Original Trilogy and throughout the "Legends" Expanded Universe.  This is an AU story with all my favorite characters.  The story veers off being canon after A New Hope.
Relationships: Leia Organa/Han Solo, Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker, Talon Karrde/OC
Comments: 221
Kudos: 166





	1. Chapter 1

_I should kill him.’_ She unholstered her blaster and pointed it toward at the unconscious man lying supine on the bunk. She glared at him for a very long time, her index finger brushing against the trigger, incrementally increasing the pressure, taking out the slack, almost hoping it would go off by accident, before, reluctantly, easing up on the trigger. She hated that she now hesitated to kill. She was Mara Jade, the Emperor’s Hand. She spent her whole life learning the skills of an assassin and one of those skills was the ability to kill readily, and without pity or remorse. But those days were gone. Her hesitation didn’t come from any empathy she had for the blond man under her custody. No, she hated Luke Skywalker with an undying passion. Her reluctance was due to her allegiance to her current employer, Talon Karrde.  
  
Talon was a smuggler and information broker that gave her a good job with a fair wage after Skywalker killed her master and destroyed her life in the process. Talon wanted Skywalker alive, and, although she knew he probably would forgive her if her blaster accidentally misfired and snuffed out Skywalker’s miserable life…her sense of pride and loyalty prevented her from doing so. She respected Talon Karrde and did not wish to disappoint the man…especially since she had to argue hard and long to convince her boss to capture Skywalker in the first place.  
  
Yesterday, the _Wild Karrde_ crew found Skywalker stranded in space over a light year from civilization and far from any well-traveled hyperspace lanes. His starfighter’s hyperdrive motivators were fried and his long-range subspace radio disabled. Although his radio was broken, he was calling out through the Force for help. Unfortunately for him, she was the person that heard his plea. She dropped Karrde’s freighter out of hyperspace under the pretense of doing a navigation reading and found Skywalker’s ship floating damaged and helpless.  
  
She thought her employer would gladly jump at the chance to capture and ransom the hapless castaway, but he didn’t, thinking Skywalker was too much trouble. No amount of money could would be worth the risk of capturing such an important and dangerous Force-user. Mara secretly agreed with Karrde’s thinking, but the urge to look Skywalker in the face as she sold him to the highest bidder was just too much of a temptation to pass.  
  
Still, the urge to murder Skywalker was another competing temptation that she was struggling with. She walked over to the bed and leaned forward and placing the barrel of the weapon against the man’s head. She stood there, fantasizing about pulling the trigger and splatting brain mater across the back wall. Instead she pushed the barrel against his skull hard enough that it would leave a mark.  
  
“Do I need to get Aves or Chin to guard him?” Mara jumped at the sound of Karrde’s voice, silently cursing the planet Myrkr’s Force hindering abilities that allowed him to sneak up on her. She returned the blaster to its holster and turned to her boss who was leaning against the doorjamb, arms folded across his chest, his expression stern.  
  
“No.” She glanced back to Skywalker. “I was just checking to see if he was coming around.”  
  
Karrde gave her a knowing look. “Don’t check too hard, you might leave a bruise. I don’t want to deliver damaged merchandise.”  
  
She walked over to a chair next to the bed and dropped down in the seat. “Did you find a buyer?”  
  
He chuckled. “I’m sure there are plenty of people who want him. The Empire, the Rebels, the Hutts to name a few. The question is, who can we offer him up to without endangering ourselves? His allies will pay the price, but then we’ll become a target of their aggression.”  
  
She scoffed. “I think you answered your own question. Only one of those organizations wants him alive. The others can care less if we delivered his dead body and they won’t come after us for putting him in that condition. Ransoming him back to his people is dangerous. If he lives, he can return and hunt us down.”  
  
Karrde looked up to the ceiling in thought before nodding and turning to leave. “You’re right…but don’t kill him. Bringing a bounty in alive always demands a higher price. I’ll make some calls.”  
.  
.  
.  
As Luke slowly regained consciousness he was immediately assaulted by a pounding headache and his body didn’t feel much better. He was on his back lying on an uncomfortable surface. As he struggled to move, he heard the tell-tale squeak of old mattress springs. He was fairly certain he was lying on a worn-out bed ubiquitous to old military bases or seedy hotels. He opened his eyes, but his vision was too blurry to readily make out where he was. He snapped his eyes closed and concentrated, trying to remember what happened.  
  
He recalled having trouble with his ship and after spending hours trying to make repairs to the long-range radio and then the hyperdrive he quit in frustration and opened up through the force, calling out for help. It appears that he was rescued, but not by the person he hoped for.  
  
He reached back in his murky memory and remembered a large cargo ship identified as the _Wild Karrde_ arriving to his location and an offer of a ride. He transferred to the ship via a force cylinder, had a short conversation with the captain of the ship who mentioned a woman named Mara Jade had found him…and then nothing. He must have been stunned at that time, but how that was accomplished he was unsure. He didn’t sense a trap or anybody sneaking up on him. Perhaps a droid stunned him.  
  
After a few more minutes he flickered his eyes open and was relieved that his vision was clearing. He was in a small room dimly lit by sunlight streaming in through an open window. The air was humid, and he could make out what he thought was the smell of coniferous trees and some aromatic flowers. When he went to sit up, he noticed his arms and legs were shackled in stun cuffs. He smiled slightly, knowing he could easily get out of his bindings using the Force. He raised his hands and stared at the cuffs, concentrating, willing them to open. His brow went up in astonishment when nothing happened. It was then he realized he couldn't touch the Force.  
  
“Don’t like it, do you?” He startled by the sound of a woman’s voice to his side. “This planet has the unique ability to disrupt the flow of the Force...so welcome to the world of mere mortals.”  
  
He turned to see a beautiful woman, probably in her mid or late twenties sitting in a chair with a blaster resting in her lap. She had shoulder length reddish gold hair and intense emerald eyes that glared at him murderously. She slowly stood, revealing not only luscious curves wrapped snuggly in a skintight bodysuit, but his lightsaber clipped to her waist belt. He was immediately enthralled by the possibility that she was a Force user. The ship’s captain, Talon Karrde, said a member of his crew found him, but didn’t mention how. Did this woman hear him call out through the Force?  
  
“You must be Mara Jade,” he ventured.  
  
She smirked. “If you are trying to impress me with your Force abilities, forget it. Karrde told me he mentioned my name before he had your gullible rimworld ass stunned and drugged.”  
  
He ignored the insult. “He also told me you were the one who found my ship. Thank you.”  
  
“Save your gratitude,” she bit out. “As far as I’m concerned, the only question left is whether to kill you or sell you to the highest bidder.”  
  
“Neither of those options sound very appealing,” he said quietly. “Which possibility are you hoping for?”  
  
His question prompted an evil grin to slide across her face. “I personally want to kill you.”  
  
He forced himself to remain calm. Captain Karrde was obviously a smuggler or pirate and his crew went to the effort to keep him alive. They clearly planned to either collect a bounty or call in a ransom for his return. What he didn’t understand was why this captivating woman in front of him wanted him dead? He had never met her before; so why did this look like a personal vendetta? He figured he had nothing to lose by asking. “What have I done to you to warrant such hatred?”  
  
Her jaw dropped apparently shocked by his question. “What have you done? What haven’t you done? You murdered the Emperor and destroyed my life in the process.”  
  
That answered his question. She was probably a former imperial, possibly an Inquisitor, whose career was derailed by the death of her Sith Master. “First of all, I didn’t kill the Emperor, Darth Vader did.” He ran his cuffed hands through his hair as he struggled to a sitting position. “I was more of a hindrance than help in that matter. I had little training as a Jedi and Palpatine nearly fried me with Force lightning before Vader stopped him.” He gave her a long, searching look and noticed that the fire in her eyes dimmed slightly. He was hopeful he could turn this situation around. “If your anger is over losing a prestigious job within the Empire, perhaps I can help. I have important friends…”  
  
“Shut up!” She punctuated that sentence by drawing her blaster and aiming it at his head. “Another word and I’ll blast you!”  
  
“You’re making a mistake. You’d be better off…”  
  
All conversation ended when a stunbolt impacted the side of his head, making his world go black.  
.  
.  
.  
Two days later, it was time to move Skywalker. Jade went to the room where he was held and found him sitting on his bed looking far more tranquil than he had any right to be. In fact, he looked up and actually smiled. “Does your arrival indicate a ransom was paid for me?”  
  
She smirked knowingly. “In a way.” She stepped in and pulled out her blaster before glancing over to the door. “You can come in now. I have him secured.”  
  
A broad grin spread across her face as Skywalker’s smug little smile slipped from his. Entering the room was Princess Leia Organa and her companion Han Solo.  
  
Skywalker’s eyes went wide. “Leia,” he managed to choke out in a strangled whisper.  
  
The former princess had tears in her eyes as she gazed at him sadly.  
  
Skywalker started to stand, but Mara stepped forward and pressed a blaster against his head halting his movement.  
  
“Don’t hurt him,” Leia said softly. Solo said nothing, but his angry gaze let everybody in the room know what he thought about the situation.  
  
“Princess Leia, Captain Solo,” Talon Karrde said as he came up behind them in the corridor. “You have proof of life. Let’s go to my office and discuss the details.”  
  
When the two rebels departed, Skywalker let out a ragged breath.  
  
“It is time to get you ready for transport.” She switched her blaster from kill to stun and without any hesitation, shot him in the chest.  
.  
.  
.  
When Skywalker finally woke he found himself lying on his back in a transparisteel coffin-sized cylinder. He pushed and pounded at the door trying to escape, but without the Force he was trapped. In his peripheral vision he saw moment. He turned to see Mara Jade walking over to his position. She knelt down next to the cylinder imprisoning him and touched a communication button on a metallic door panel. “Calm down. This is a stasis chamber. You will be safely tucked away inside. It’s a safety measure. We don’t want you trying to exact some revenge before you get to your destination.”  
  
“I’m not going to try anything.”  
  
“Empty words coming from a traitor.”  
  
He gave her a hard look. “It’s debatable whether calling me a traitor is the proper term when you are talking about a rebellion.”  
  
She scoffed lightly. “Maybe, but I can tell you, you are the most hated man in the galaxy. _That_ is not in question.”  
  
“I think that’s an exaggeration,” he whispered, his voice miserable. “What I did was in the best interest of the galaxy.”  
  
She let out a scathing laugh. “You keep telling yourself that…anything that allows you sleep at night. I’m sure it helps you overcome a shipload of cognitive dissonance.”  
  
He frowned in confusion. “Cognitive what?”  
  
She sat down on the edge of the stasis cylinder. “Oh, I forgot. The Tatooine farm boy only has a secondary education. You were too busy killing Imperials to go to college.” She crossed her arms across her chest while glaring at Luke. “Cognitive dissonance is the psychological stress experienced when a person holds two or more contradictory beliefs or values.” She stood and pointed down at him. “I’m sure when you look in the mirror at your uniform you wonder, ‘ _How the hell did I end up where I am?_ ’”  
  
Luke averted his eyes. “It does sometimes seem unreal.”  
  
Mara’s eyes narrowed. “But it did happen. You betrayed your friends on Bespin and teamed up with Darth Vader. You and Vader then killed the Emperor and took over the Empire by force. Vader became Emperor and you became Supreme Commander of the Imperial Forces before going off and cracking down on all sedition…which was really easy because you knew the location of all the rebel bases. You betrayed and hunted down your friends! And you question whether the galaxy hates you? Ha!”  
  
Frustration spilled out in a fiery sigh. “I may have hunted down my friends, but they weren’t harmed. They were given a chance to join the empire or face exile.” He shook his head in frustration. “There was no way for the rebellion to win. We were a rag tag group with a few hundred ships going against an Imperial force with hundreds of Star Destroyers and even more battleships, frigates, cruisers, corvettes, assault ships and at least thirty thousand Tie Fighters. I made a deal with Darth Vader. We would end the war and he would spare the lives of the rebels.”  
  
“And you murdered the Emperor,” she pointed out. “He was my Master!”  
  
He closed his eyes for a second, drawing in a calming breath. “The Emperor was insane with power and the Moffs were as cruel as they were corrupt. We had to purge the Empire of their kind.”  
  
“Hence the reason for my career change.”  
  
Skywalker reached up and undid the collar clasp of his grey Imperial uniform as his transparisteel prison started to get warm. "I doubt you were cruel or corrupt, otherwise I would be dead already.” He gave her a challenging gaze. “You have to admit, the galaxy is much better off now than under Palpatine…isn’t it?”  
  
Mara looked away in disgust…not because he was lying…but because she knew he was telling the truth. She didn’t know how he did it, but Skywalker was able to mellow out Darth Vader and curb most of his homicidal tendencies along with making improvements throughout the Imperial government.  
  
“The Rebellion began because of the Imperial military was oppressing the populace,” Luke explained to his captor. “But things have changed. Grand Admiral Thrawn, Vice Admiral Faro, Admiral Pellaeon and Commodore Vanto control our four main Imperial fleets and they have proven to be worthy commanders. They have ended the tyranny that the Empire was once known for. I have no idea why the rebels refuse to see the sweeping reformations that have been established over the last few years.”  
  
“The rebels don’t care that you made the Empire a kinder and gentler place to live,” she spat out. “You betrayed your friends. They might have been able to forgive you if you killed Vader, but you didn’t. The Rebels believed Vader and Palpatine were the personification of evil…and that now makes you evil by association.”  
  
“You worked for the Emperor,” he pointed out. “Do you consider yourself evil?”  
  
She shook her head adamantly. “No, but I was never part of the rebellion. That makes me patriotic and not a traitor to my friends.”  
  
“Vader and I are now the leaders of the Empire. If you are truly a patriot, you can go back to your old life. I can do that for you.” He paused waiting for an answer, when she remained silent, he continued. “Things are different now. We have wiped out most corruption. I have personally closed all Imperial labor camps. Slavery has been outlawed. We guarantee the rights of all sentients, not just humans. I am trying to make things right, but there was no way I could have gotten those laws passed as a rebel on the losing side.”  
  
She heaved a sigh, almost feeling bad for the man. He betrayed his comrades, but in the end, he accomplished most of their goals. “Maybe the rebels will come to their senses, but until then my job is to put you on ice so you can face whatever punishment the Princess and your former rebel friends decide to impose on you.”  
  
Luke talked frantically trying to dissuade Mara Jade from activating the cylinder, but he knew he failed when he lapsed into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Luke didn’t know how long he was in stasis, but it couldn’t have been too long because the cylinder had not been moved. He looked up and saw Mara Jade talking to Talon Karrde. She must have muted the intercom system of the cylinder because he couldn’t make out what they were saying, but by the flurry of hand gestures and their anxious expressions, it didn’t look like they were happy. Finally, the two smugglers turned and stared at him—which made him nervous because it looked like they were trying to decide his fate. Mara moved forward and unlocked the stasis cylinder door allowing Talon Karrde to reach in and grabbed Luke by the front of his uniform tunic.  
  
“We need to check you for tracking devices.” Karrde hissed as he roughly pulled him out of the stasis cylinder and set him on his feet.  
  
Mara glanced over to Karrde as she unholstered her blaster to guard their prisoner. “I already searched him Talon. I did a very thorough pat down. He isn’t carrying any tracking beacons.”  
  
“It may not be in his clothing. Did you look for subcutaneous devices?  
  
Mara scowled at her boss. “Are you asking me if I did a body cavity search?”  
  
Karrde made a face. “No, I’m not asking that.”  
  
“You might not be asking,” Luke interrupted as he straightened his grey Imperial uniform. “But that’s a question I would definitely like answered,”  
  
“Shut up Skywalker!” Mara turned to Karrde and shook her head. “No, I didn’t search his body.”  
  
“What’s going on?” Luke asked, confused by this change of events.  
  
“What’s going on,” Karrde said angrily. “Is an Imperial Star Destroyer just dropped out of hyperspace in an orbit above Myrkr and I have a Grand Admiral Thrawn sending out a query on all frequencies as to the location of his Supreme Commander. He _knows_ you are on planet!”  
  
“Kriff!” Mara turned to Luke. “Do you have a tracker crammed up your darkside?”  
  
“No,” Luke shook his head adamantly.  
  
“Did the Empire inject anything under your skin?” Talon asked.  
  
“No, not that I know of. They've never…” he stopped as he stared at his right hand.  
  
“What is it,” Mara demanded.  
  
“My right hand is cybernetic…Imperial issue.” He opened and closed his hand while gazing at the limb. “It’s possible that something was placed inside the circuitry so my…the Emperor could track me.”  
  
“Shavit!” Talon moaned before he turned to Mara, gazing at her sadly. “We are so dead.”  
  
She lowered her head. “I’m sorry. This is all my fault.”  
  
“Kriff! Frack’n Kriff!” Talon cursed as he ran his hands through his shaggy black hair in frustration.  
  
“What do we do?” Mara pointed her blaster at Luke. “Do we blast him, dump him in the woods and let the vornskrs eat the evidence?”  
  
“What?!” Luke said wide eyed. “No, you don’t want to do that. Grand Admiral Thrawn probably already knows exactly where I’m located. Even if I’m not carrying a tracker, he is highly intelligent and extremely perceptive. He is shrewd to the point that I think he may be Force sensitive. Killing me is not a good option.”  
  
Mara rolled her eyes. “Of course _you_ think it’s not a good option, but it may be our _only_ option.”  
  
“No, I have a better plan.” Luke talked quickly, hoping to avoid becoming a meal to a Vornskr…whatever that is. “You let me go and I will tell my people you saved me.”  
  
Despite the dire circumstances, both Karrde and Jade laughed at his suggestion.  
  
“We let you go and we die from a planetary bombardment as soon as you’re safely onboard.” Karrde said.  
  
“No, I won’t do that. Believe me, I definitely _don’t_ want that.”  
  
“Stop trying to save your own skin. There is no reason why you wouldn’t want us dead,” Mara’s voice took on a scathing tone. “Especially after I stunned your rimworld butt multiple times before selling you to the rebels.”  
  
“I don’t want Admiral Thrawn’s troopers to come down here _because_ of the rebels.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I don’t want Leia to be hurt…or Han”  
  
Mara gave a derisive laugh. “You had a thing for her at one time, didn’t you?”  
  
He shook his head. “No, not exactly. I do love her…like a sister. We’ve been through a lot together. I don’t want Leia and Han to be captured…and that will happen if the Imperials come planetside to search for me.” He gazed at Mara. “You know how they work. You were an Imperial.”  
  
Karrde gave Mara a sideway glance and Luke realized she had probably kept that little tidbit of information from her employer. “We can say a loyal Imperial found me,” Luke continued. “And brought me back to this planet to recuperate.”  
  
She shook her head while counting all the holes in his story. “The Admiral will wonder why we didn’t contact the government immediately after finding you.” She stared at Luke intently. “It won’t work, unless you can come up with a great reason for not contacting your command.”  
  
Luke stopped to think. “Maybe we could say I was unconscious, and you didn’t know who I was at first.”  
  
Karrde shook his head in disbelief. “Everybody knows who you are.”  
  
Luke blew out a breath. “Help me out here! Come on, you are smugglers. You must come up with impromptu stories to get out of trouble all the time.”  
  
“Maybe…” Mara started but then stopped.  
  
“Maybe what?” Luke said, almost frantic at this point. The longer they delayed the greater the chance that Leia and Han would be captured. They had been exiled to Wild Space and if the Imperials found them... then there was nothing that he could do to stop their execution.  
  
“Maybe if you tell the Admiral that you lied to us about contacting your command. Say you told us you made contact with the Empire…but you actually didn’t because you wanted to stay on this planet a little longer without interruptions.”  
  
Karrde looked at her incredulously. “Why in the hell would he do that?”  
  
“Maybe he was attracted to...” Mara closed her eyes and blew out a frustrated breath. “Forget about it; it is a dumb idea.”  
  
“Attracted to…what? The planet’s ambience?” Karrde scoffed. “Yeah, that is a dumb idea.”  
  
“That might work,” Luke whispered when he realized what she was thinking. “If you are suggesting that I might have wanted some time uninterrupted with a certain young lady…yeah…I probably would have lied. That is a pretty good idea. I am a young single guy and you are…” He wanted to say gorgeous, but he wasn’t sure if she would stun him again if he did. “Ummm…someone who would spark my interest.”  
  
“What!” Karrde said incredulously. “You think the Emperor would believe you delayed calling off a galaxy-wide search for you just because you wanted a kriff-call?”  
  
“Not a Kriff-call. Emperor Vader wouldn’t believe that…if that was the only reason. But she’s a Force Adept and finding one of those is like locating a snowball on Mustafar. It would interest me greatly and the fact that she is a beautiful woman my age would definitely convince the Emperor.”  
  
Mara winced when he mentioned she was a Force-user and Luke realized she had probably been hiding those abilities from her employer as well. Mara turned to her boss and her brow rose when she noticed he didn’t seem at all surprised.  
  
“You knew I was a Force adept?”  
  
Karrde shrugged. “I suspected. Either you were the luckiest person in the galaxy, or you had some mysterious mystical outside help. I didn’t know about your Imperial connection, though.” He turned back to Luke. “What is keeping you from killing us as soon as your precious princess is out of danger?”  
  
He let out a long sigh. “I am not a monster. I am a man of my word. Please, this will work.” He gazed at Mara. “Especially if you come with me to sell the story.”  
  
She groaned in disgust. “Are you blackmailing me? Come with you and you’ll let my friends live.”  
  
He put his hands up in a halting gesture. “No, not at all. You bring me up to the Star Destroyer in a shuttle. I show you around and then you return to the planet. I will then order the Star Destroyer to depart orbit.”  
  
She stared at him gravely. “Even if I let you go, Vader could find out what happened, and we’d be dead. It’s better that his anger is fixated on the rebels.” She turned to Karrde. “We can shoot Skywalker, kill Organa and Solo and then contact the Imperials. Say the rebels captured Skywalker and then we captured them and found Skywalker dead. They tried to escape, and we shot them.”  
  
“No!” Luke protested. “Do you really think Leia and Han didn’t tell anybody where they were going? When the rebels realized you killed their leaders, they will let the Imperials know exactly where they were going and who they were going to meet.”  
  
“Kriff!” Mara moaned before turning back to Talon. “He’s right. Even if we killed everybody involved the damn rebels will probably sell us out.” She threw her hands up in frustration. “We have no choice. Letting him go is our only hope.”  
  
“But we have to leave now!” Luke’s said urgently. “Can we take a shuttle from here to Grand Admiral Thrawn’s ship? If I am off the planet there isn’t a reason for them to come down and take a look around. In fact, I will order them not to. You bring me to my ship and then take your shuttle back. Don’t let Leia and Han come out of hiding before Thrawn’s ship departs.”  
  
Mara’s eyes narrowed. “There is no need for me to go. You can take a shuttle and we can slave the flight controls to our computer on Myrkr and fly it back remotely.”  
  
“I need you Mara.” Luke said pleadingly, “It is going to be hard to sell my story unless they see you.”  
  
Talon shook his head. “I don’t trust him.”  
  
She stepped up next to her employer and put a hand on his shoulder. “Talon, we can’t get off planet with a Star Destroyer in orbit. It is only a matter of time before they find us. I got you into this situation. Let me try to get us out.”  
  
The smuggler rubbed a hand over his eyes, before turning to Mara, looking emotionally exhausted. “Are you sure?”  
  
She nodded. “I’m sure.” She turned her attention to Skywalker. “My friends will be left in peace, right? Do I have your promise?”  
  
Skywalker couldn’t hide his obvious relief. “Yes, I promise.”  
  
“Okay,” she said slowly. “I’ll go.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Supreme Commander Skywalker, the Emperor will be pleased to hear you are well,” Grand Admiral Thrawn said evenly as he gazed at the transmitted holographic image of his commander. The blue skinned Chiss scrutinized the man closely, his red eyes narrowing slightly. “You have been missing for days. The Emperor was quite concerned.”  
  
“Ah, yeah, my radio was broken. When I was rescued, I was a bit dehydrated and disorientated. I was about contact the Emperor when you showed up.”  
  
“Ah,” Thrawn said slowly, suspicious of the story given to him. “I will immediately dispatch a shuttle down to retrieve you.”  
  
“No need,” Skywalker replied quickly. “I’m aboard a GAT-12 Skipray Blastboat on the way to your location. I should be exiting the atmosphere in the next ten minutes. I’ll transmit the ship’s transponder code.” Skywalker paused. “It’s piloted by one of the people who saved me when I was stranded in space.”  
  
“I see.” The Admiral muted the communication line before addressing his crew. “Lieutenant Loddki, scan the incoming Skipray for weapons.”  
  
“Yes Sir,” the female bridge offer acknowledged while pressing buttons on her console. “The ship has the standard armaments for that class of ship, but weapon systems are currently offline, and shields are down.”  
  
The Admiral gave a curt nod of acknowledgement before unmuting the communications line. “May I inquire as to the identity of your…pilot?”  
  
The blond man smiled widely. “One of the people who rescued me was a former Imperial…who I’m trying to convince to return to active service.”  
  
Admiral Thrawn clasped his hands behind the small of his back, his narrow gaze sharpening on the young man’s face. Thrawn noticed Skywalker's jaw tense and his eyes kept glancing to the left as if looking at somebody just out of the projector range.  
  
 _‘Supreme Commander Skywalker is lying’,_ he thought. _‘But about what?’_ Unlike the Emperor, the best way to acquire information from Skywalker was simply to ask. “Sir, may I inquire as to the name of this former Imperial?”  
  
A broad smile crossed the young man’s face. “Mara Jade.” He beckoned to somebody to his left. “Mara,” When he got no response, he called out louder. “Mara, put it on autopilot for a minute and come here, please.”  
  
Thrawn could make out the sound of an irritated groan, followed by somebody unbuckling crash webbing and footsteps to the communications sections of the ship. “What do you want Skywalker?”  
  
A young woman with reddish gold hair moved into the projector’s view, her eyes growing wide when she realized she was now part of a ship-to-ship call. “Oh, I didn’t know you were using the comms.”  
  
Luke gestured toward the transceiver holo image. “Mara, I’d like to introduce you to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Admiral, this is Mara Jade, the woman who saved me from certain death and to whom I owe a great amount of gratitude.”  
  
“It is a pleasure to meet you Grand Admiral,” the redhead said curtly. She placed a hand on the Supreme Commander’s shoulder as she looked at the transceiver camera. Thrawn noticed her touch caused an immediate reaction within his Superior. Skywalker blushed slightly as a small smile curved his lips.  
  
 _‘Mara Jade’_. The name didn’t mean anything to Thrawn, but he knew his people were probably doing a records search at that very moment. The Admiral analyzed the woman’s body structure and facial features and noted they were what most humans would consider aesthetically pleasing. Skywalker was young and unattached; a beautiful woman might explain his silence for the last few days. Curiously, the woman did not have the same expression of excited pleasure as Skywalker did. Her facial features were tense, her eyes hard and inscrutable. Thrawn was sure the woman was not accompanying Skywalker willingly, which was an enigma. Luke Skywalker despised slavery and had exhibited compassion, honesty and integrity in all his dealings with friends and foes. So why did he now have a woman on this ship, who, by all appearances, did not wish to accompany him?  
  
Those answers would have to wait until he could talk to the Supreme Commander in private.  
  
“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Jade.” He shifted his attention to Skywalker. “Sir, you may dock in bay fifty-six.”  
.  
.  
.  
Skywalker turned off the transmitter, before turning to Mara and smiling brightly. “See, no problem.”  
  
She smacked him on the shoulder. “You told him my real name? What’s wrong with you?”  
  
He looked up at her confused. “Why wouldn’t I use your real name?”  
  
“Because I probably have a bounty on my head. I worked for Palpatine and I am fairly certain Darth Vader hated me. I think he saw me as competition for Emperor Palpatine’s attention. He might have thought I planned to kill him in order to become the Emperor's apprentice.”  
  
“Did you plan on killing him?”  
  
She laughed at the question. “I’m not suicidal. Darth Vader was extremely strong in the Force. I wouldn’t have stood a chance of defeating him.” She returned to the pilot seat and rolled her eyes with a shake of her head. “I am so kriff’d. I will probably be hauled off to the brig once we dock. Even if the Emperor isn’t told about my existence, I can tell you right now, your blue-skinned Admiral didn’t believe a word you said.”  
  
He gazed at her questioningly as he rose and moved to the cockpit. “Why wouldn’t he believe me? I’m his superior officer.”  
  
“You may be his Supreme Commander, but you are a lousy liar. Your voice rose an octave when you gave him your concocted story. He probably thinks you are under duress.”  
  
He shook his head as he sat down in the co-pilot seat. “We have code words that I could have used to indicate duress. I didn’t use any of them.”  
  
She shrugged. “He has to know something’s amiss. Maybe if I’m lucky he’ll just think you kidnapped me to be your pleasure slave.”  
  
Luke threw his hands up in disbelief. “Why would you say that? My officers know me better than that.” He gazed at her intently. “Are there horrible rumors about me going around the galaxy?” He pointed to his face. “Look at my eyes. I’m not a Sith. I don’t tap into the darkside.”  
  
She looked away, not wanting to answer.  
  
“Really, are there rumors about me?” Luke persisted.  
  
“No,” she said reluctantly. “Not about the darkside. You are reviled as a traitor by former Rebels, but overall, the people on Imperial held planets welcome your reforms.”  
  
A disarming grin colored his face. “That’s…well, it’s nice to hear people appreciate the things I've done.”  
  
“Don’t let that go to your head; Tarkin and Palpatine set a low bar. The people would appreciate anything that didn’t involve their planet being destroyed or a bioweapon decimating their village.” Mara throttled down reducing the ship’s speed as they approached the Star Destroyer's massive ventral docking bay. “Almost there.”  
  
He motioned to her belt. “By the way, can I have my lightsaber back? If you walk off the ship with it on there will be questions.”  
  
She didn’t like the idea of him being armed after she spent days threatening to kill him, but what choice did she have? She unhooked it from her belt and handed it over.  
  
“Thank you.” He snapped it back onto his black leather belt. “When we dock let me exit first. I’ll talk to the deck officer and then call you down. They may check you for weapons.” He glanced over to her. “You do have a holdout blaster somewhere, don’t you? You might want to leave it on the ship. Some of my men might be a little trigger happy after my absence. I am sure the Emperor threatened more than one senior officer with violence if I wasn’t found.”  
  
She heaved a sigh before reaching down to a side pocket of her jump suit and retrieving a holdout blaster. She placed it on the front console. She turned to him. “Please tell me you are going to keep your word. My crew won’t be harmed.”  
  
“I’m not going to hurt them. In fact, I’ll make sure they get a nice reward for my safe return. How about one-hundred thousand credits?”  
  
Her eyes went wide. “You’d do that? Are you crazy or are you just trying to impress me?”  
  
He grinned widely. “Impress you, of course. I’m hoping I can lure you away from your current employer with the possibility of working for the Empire once again…for a substantial wage, I might add. But I can’t do that if you don’t trust me.”  
  
She made a humph sound. “Why would I trust somebody who coerced me to accompany him off planet in order to ensure the welfare of my friends.”  
  
“It was more for the welfare of my friends, Han and Leia.” Skywalker’s jaw tightened. “It is amazing how you have somehow become the victim in this situation when it was actually _me_ that was stunned, drugged and kidnapped by you and your friends. It was _you_ who stunned me twice with a blaster and it was _your_ organization who attempted to sell me to the highest bidder. Despite all that, I agreed not to retaliate. I intended to give your friends a reward…a substantial reward…for my safe return and I am offering you a fairly high-profile job with great pay and benefits.” He paused for dramatic effect. “But somehow _you’re_ the victim and I am the big bad Imperial.”  
  
Her expression hardened as she looked him up and down. “You’re not that big.”  
  
He chuckled darkly. “I’ll tell you what, just help me convince the Grand Admiral that I am a lonely Imperial that became mesmerized by a beautiful and Force-strong woman. So much so that I would do anything, include not notifying my command of my rescue, just so I could have a few more hours basking in her beauty. Once he is convinced you can take your ship and leave. If you change your mind about working for me, just let me know. I’ll give you my contact information.”  
  
She sighed as she maneuvered the ship to the proper docking bay and settled the Skipray down onto the Star Destroyer’s deck. She unbuckled her crash webbing and turned to Skywalker. “So, all I have to do is convince your highly intelligent and extremely perceptive Grand Admiral that his Supreme Commander is unlucky in love and he spent the last few days desperately trying to woo a woman that is way out of his league….that shouldn’t be difficult.”  
  
Luke looked crestfallen. “Ouch…but yeah, that would be good, and you probably only need to convince the deck officer. I doubt you will even see the Admiral.”  
  
“Do you want me to hang all over you like we are lovers? Should I try to sell the story that after one look at the Supreme Commander I fell madly in love and we spent the last three days kriff’n the days away?”  
  
“I wish,” she heard him mutter under his breath. When he noticed her murderous gaze, he gave her a sheepish smile. “Just joking. We’ll make it look like I am the one interested in romance, but you want none of it. You are just giving me a ride back to my ship.”  
  
She gave a noncommittal shrug. “I think I can manage that.”


	4. Chapter 4

Luke walked down the Skipray’s boarding ramp fully expecting to meet the deck officer, instead he found himself face-to-face with Grand Admiral Thrawn accompanied by a platoon of Stormtroopers.  
  
“Admiral,” he said, forcing a smile on his face. “You didn’t need to come in person to meet me.”  
  
Luke always felt uneasy around the Chiss officer. He may outrank the Admiral, but Luke knew he would never be the man’s equal in the strategy room. He also knew his crew had an almost cult-like devotion to the Chiss officer. So far, Thrawn has been satisfied with his place in the Empire, but Luke knew as soon as Emperor Vader died it was Thrawn that would most likely move into the position of Emperor. Luke just didn’t have enough backing of the people. He destroyed the Death Star and slaughtered a million Imperials in doing so. His reforms had ingratiated himself to a large percentage of the populace, but there was still a very vocal minority that thought he should be executed for his actions during the rebellion.  
  
The Admiral’s face remained stoic, his red eyes regarding Skywalker inquisitively. “The Emperor insisted that I am to be present to welcome you home…and to meet your guest.” He looked up the ramp. “Is she joining you?”  
  
Luke mouth suddenly went dry. Mara was right, the Admiral didn’t believe a word he said earlier. “Yes, of course.” He turned and called up the ramp. “Mara, you can come down.”  
  
The redheaded woman walked down the ramp, head held high, eyes unflinching, as she approached the Admiral. She came up next to Skywalker and stopped before addressing the officer. “It is a pleasure to meet you Grand Admiral Thrawn.”  
  
Luke noticed the corner of Thrawn’s lips turned up slightly and that scared Luke. Thrawn usually only smiled when he was about to spring a trap.  
  
“I am pleased to meet the person who rescued our Supreme Commander. If you would be so kind as to accompany us back to Coruscant, the Emperor wishes to thank you in person.” He turned to an Ensign behind him. “Inform the Captain that we are ready to depart.” He returned his attention back to Mara. “And I am honored to meet the legendary Emperor’s Hand.”  
  
“Kriff,” Mara muttered under her breath. She was confident that her name wouldn’t come up in any Imperial database, but Thrawn didn’t need to search historical records…all he had to do was tell Emperor Vader.  
  
“The Emperor has ordered me to confine you during our journey for the safety of all on board this ship.” Thrawn motioned to his Stormtroopers who quickly surrounded the smuggler.  
  
“Stop!” Luke ordered his men before turning to his Admiral. “I’m in charge here and I won’t have her treated like a criminal.”  
  
“Supreme Commander,” Thrawn said slowly. “The order came from the Emperor himself. I cannot disobey.”  
  
Luke was flustered at their predicament. “Then confine her to the visiting dignitary quarters. Post guards outside. I don’t want her in the detention facility.”  
  
Thrawn hesitated for a moment before giving Skywalker a curt nod. “Of course, Sir.” He motioned to the troopers. “Carry out the Supreme Commander’s order.”  
  
Mara glared at Luke as she was led away by a squad of Stormtroopers.  
  
He sighed deeply knowing he was a fool to think he could lie to Thrawn convincingly.  
  
“Supreme Commander,” Admiral Thrawn whispered. “Can I have a word with you in private?”  
  
Luke gave a frustrated nod.  
  
“Excellent,” Thrawn said with a slight smile. “If you would be so kind as to join me in my Ready Room.”  
  
“Sure,” Luke said softly as he followed the admiral down the main ship corridor. It was obvious that Thrawn knew Luke was lying about what happened during his stay on Myrkr, but there was no way he could possibly know what truly happened. All he had to do was deny any accusation.  
  
When they arrived at the Admiral’s Ready Room, Thrawn punched in his security code and, as the door slid open, he gestured for Luke to enter first. The Admiral followed closely behind closing the door behind him. “I am relieved you are unharmed,” Thrawn spoke first. “The Emperor was very adamant that we locate you.” He hesitated slightly before adding, “He is very protective of his second-in-command.”  
  
Luke settled down on a small couch as the Admiral took a seat across from his Supreme Commander.  
  
“I’m glad I was found by a former Imperial and not Rebels.”  
  
“It was quite fortunate. Did she tell you her title and profession within the Empire?”  
  
Luke shrugged. “She told me she worked for Emperor Palpatine and that she was a Force-user. She never mentioned a title.”  
  
“Ah,” Thrawn said noncommittally. “Do you believe her a threat? After all, you and the Emperor killed her former Master.”  
  
Luke glared at the Chiss. “Palpatine was also your Master…are you a threat to me and Emperor Vader?”  
  
A cold smile crossed Admiral Thrawn’s lips. “Point taken, Supreme Commander.” He folded his arms across his chest before reaching up with one hand and stroking his chin while in thought. “Why didn’t Miss Jade contact the Empire upon locating you?”  
  
Luke averted his eyes, not wanting to gaze into Thrawn’s eerie red orbs. “I lied to her. They gave me access to their communications room and some privacy. I told her I made the call, but I didn’t. I wanted some time to get to know her.”  
  
Luke didn’t look up, but still felt Thrawn’s eyes were upon him. “And why is that?”  
  
Luke kept his eyes down as he shuffled his feet nervously. “You’re the master of observation. I don’t need to tell you why.” He was stalling, hoping the Admiral would fill in the blanks himself.  
  
Unfortunately, Thrawn, the master strategist, knew exactly what Luke was doing.  
  
“You have to forgive me, Supreme Commander. I don’t know you well enough to form a conclusive hypothesis as to your motives.”  
  
Luke grimaced, knowing that was a lie. He looked up and gave his best convincing smile. “She’s beautiful and a Force-user.” His smile faltered somewhat. “And, I’m lonely. My former friends hate me, and my current subordinates don’t quite trust me.”  
  
Thrawn stared at him stone faced for a long moment before he spoke. “I experienced similar circumstances when I first joined the Empire. Although there are more non-humans in positions of power now, that was not the case twenty years ago. I was an oddity…and to some…an abomination. A blue-skinned alien from a previously unknown civilization working his way up the ranks in a very human-centric military. For many years the only person I truly trusted was my former Imperial Academy roommate, Commodore Vanto.”  
  
Luke’s jaw went slack with surprise at Thrawn’s admission. Usually the Chiss was very tightlipped when it came to his personal thoughts and history.  
  
The Admiral obviously picked up Luke’s astonishment from his body language. “Supreme Commander, I _am_ a master of observation…and what you have said is partially true. I suspect you are thin on the details in an effort to protect the former Emperor’s Hand. I trust you enough not to put this ship and crew in jeopardy. I must warn you though, the Emperor will have the same suspicions that I do.” He stood and walked to the Ready Room door which slid open with a push of a button. Thrawn turned to Luke as he gestured to the exit. “You probably want to freshen up and put on a new uniform. Thank you for granting me an audience.”  
  
Luke stood and straightened his uniform tunic. “Thank you for retrieving me.” He looked down at his cybernetic arm. “How did you find me anyway? Is there a tracker inside my prosthesis?”  
  
“Not that I know of, Supreme Commander. We found your abandoned shuttle floating in space. A check of the onboard computer showed you had been scanning for any nearby ships. Data records indicate you were picked up by a cargo ship named _‘Wild Karrde’_. It didn’t take long to discover the name of the ship’s owner and where it is usually berthed.”  
  
“Oh,” Luke said softly as he stood and walked to the doorway. “Thank you, Admiral.” Luke exited and immediately moved to where Mara was being held prisoner.  
.  
.  
.  
  
 _Myrkr Base_  
  
“You let him go?” Han Solo’s fists clenched at his sides as he glowered angrily at Talon Karrde. “We gave you twenty-five thousand credits and dragged a stasis cylinder across the galaxy for you to deliver Skywalker to us.”  
  
“Well, plans changed once a Star Destroyer dropped into orbit and demanded the return of their Supreme Commander.” Talon gestured toward one of his crewmen. “Chin will return your credits.” He turned back to Solo and his companion Leia Organa. “We’ll load the stasis cylinder back to your ship…but I’d suggest you not leave until the Imperial’s depart orbit.”  
  
“The Imperials aren’t going to leave!” Princess Leia said hotly. “You gave away our only bargaining chip. As soon as Luke is on that Star Destroyer there is nothing stopping the Imperials from doing a planetary bombardment.” The petite woman threw her hands up in disgust as she paced back and forth in frustration. “How could you be so foolish? You kidnapped the Supreme Commander of the Empire, a man who is a Sith apprentice to Lord Vader, and then let him go because he promised to keep your confidence? You have _killed_ us all. The Imperials aren’t going to leave until we’re dead!”  
  
“I don’t think that’s true,” Karrde replied heatedly. “What he was worried about is _your_ safety. We had to come up with a cover story as to why he didn’t contact his command and my second-in-command accompanied him off planet to help convince the Imperials of our story’s validity.”  
  
“Then she is a dead as we are,” Leia shot back. “The Imperials won’t leave until they have us…alive or dead.”  
  
There was a knock on the office door before Karrde’s communications officer, Aves, poked his head in. “Boss, the Imperials are gone.”  
  
Karrde almost laughed at the look of total astonishment on Solo and Organa’s faces.  
  
“It looks like you are wrong about the Supreme Commander.” Karrde said with a smirk. “I don’t think you are giving Skywalker enough credit. Haven’t you noticed the changes in the Empire? You should want Skywalker to continue his work instead of killing him.”  
  
Leia shook her head adamantly. “We don’t want to kill him. We…” Her voice cracked with emotion.  
  
“We want to deprogram him,” Han continued for Leia. “He’s under Darth Vader’s control and influenced by the darkside.”  
  
Karrde scoffed. “I really don’t think Skywalker is being influenced by Darth Vader…I think it is the other way around.”  
  
“Why would you say that?” Han asked.  
  
His brows arched in clear amusement. “You two must have been hiding out on some rimworld rebel outpost way too long. I’m considering leaving the smuggling business and becoming a legitimate Imperial trader just to get the newly offered Galactic health care. Do you really think Darth Vader was the person who instituted the sweeping reforms in the last couple years? The rebels would be foolish to try to change the political system at this point.”  
  
“Vader made me watch the destruction of my home world of Alderaan,” Leia words came out in a hiss. “He’s a monster.”  
  
Talon threw his hands up in defeat. “I agree with you on that point, but right now your friend Skywalker seems to be keeping Vader in check.” He cocked his head to the side inquisitively. “Have you ever thought that maybe your former friend is possibly doing a Jedi Mind Trick on Darth Vader? How else could you explain the Emperor’s actions in the past two years?” He leaned against his office wall. “You may have a man on the inside and you just didn’t know it. Skywalker may actually be the man in control of the Empire.” Karrde glanced over to Aves. “Is Mara on her way back?”  
  
The man lowered his head. “No. She was on the Star Destroyer when it made its jump to hyperspace.”  
  
Talon ran a hand over his face in frustration before looking up to Han and Leia. “Aves, Chin go carry this stasis cylinder to Solo’s ship.” He pointed at the two rebels. “You two need to keep your mouths shut about what transpired here. My second-in-command accompanied Skywalker in an effort to protect you two and now she’s gone. Your rebellion depends on smugglers and I have a lot of friends in high and low places. If you let it be known that we captured Skywalker, you’ll get the reputation of being chin-wagging rebel scum and then you can forget about further shipments from the smuggler’s guild.”  
  
Han glared at the man. “You don’t have to tell me. I’m still part of the guild. Just give us our money and cylinder back and we won’t need to discuss this again.”  
  
“You’ll get your money,” Karrde sneered before he stomped out the door.


	5. Chapter 5

_Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Flagship Chimaera_  
  
“I’m sorry,” Luke said for the tenth time in the last five minutes. “In my defense you were not completely upfront as to your role in Palpatine’s Empire.”  
  
Mara rolled her eyes as she gulped down a glass of extremely expensive wine that was generously stocked in the dignitary quarters. She was stretched out on a luxurious black leather sectional couch; her expression was one of aggravation and disbelief. “I told you I worked for the Emperor and was a Force adept. The title of my position is inconsequential. What did you think I was—the Emperor’s Force-strong pastry chef? I was a loyalty officer and assassin. I also told you I would be hauled off to the brig and I was right.”  
  
Luke held out his arms and pointed to her surroundings. “This is hardly the brig.”  
  
“It doesn’t matter. Emperor Vader won’t tolerate my existence. I’m as good as dead.”  
  
Luke dropped down on the sectional. “Mara, the Emperor won’t kill you. I won’t let him.”  
  
That got a chuckle out of her. “Skywalker, you are delusional if you think you can take on Darth Vader.” She poured herself another glass of wine emptying the bottle. “I don’t even know how you’ve survived this long. I can understand why Vader didn’t kill you in order to get the location of the rebel bases, but after that there was no reason to keep you alive.” She went silent for a long pause before her gaze snapped up to him. “Do you have something on Lord Vader? Are you somehow blackmailing him?”  
  
She didn’t give him time to answer before throwing out another theory. “Or did you somehow manage to kill Darth Vader, and now you have some lackey walking around in a Darth Vader suit?” She stood and gazed at him angrily. “I’m right, aren’t I? With Darth Vader’s help you killed the Emperor and then you killed Vader with the intent of taking over the Empire…but you knew nobody would accept you as Emperor, so you have someone under your control pretending to be Darth Vader.” She picked up the empty wine bottle. “And that means _YOU_ are the person refusing to let me leave.” She tossed the bottle at his head but the projectile halted midair before slowly moving to Luke’s grip.  
  
He smirked at the slightly inebriated women. “Mara, first you accuse me of being some rimworld yokel with a secondary school education that would be delusional to think I could kill a Sith Lord and now you are claiming that I’m a cunning and evil genius that could not only kill Darth Vader, but I’m shrewd enough to replace him with a body double completely under my control. Which is it? You can’t have it both ways. Either I am a criminal mastermind or dumb as a box of Tatooine sand. Which is it?”  
  
She gazed at him as she finished her drink. “I don’t know. None of this makes any sense. I used to be able to pick up on a person’s intentions and machinations. I was one of the best…but now…I guess I’m off my game.” She dropped back down on the couch and sighed deeply.  
  
He smiled wanly. “Don’t be too hard on yourself…because you’re not the first person to come up with that idea. A few people have tried to kill the emperor thinking he was an imposter…they didn’t survive.”  
  
She turned her eyes toward him. “Why do you think I’ll survive my encounter with Emperor Vader?”  
  
“Because your first theory was correct. I do have something on Vader…or let’s just say, I have something Vader wants.”  
  
“And what is that?”  
  
He shrugged. “If I tell you, then you will be privy to information that currently only Lord Vader and I know. I’m not sure you want to take on that knowledge. Sometimes it is safer to be blissfully ignorant.”  
  
“I’ll take your word for it,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Since blissfully ignorant seems to be your default.”  
  
“Ouch…you are a _mean_ drunk.”  
  
She gave him an intoxicated grin. “I am drunk. That’s why this conversation makes no sense.”  
  
“So, do you always drink this much?” Luke asked sounding concerned.  
  
She shook her head. “Nope. Only when I think I only have a few days to live. From Myrkr to Coruscant it is a four-day hyperspace journey. I figure if I only have a few days to live I might as well party hard.” She rose on shaky legs and made her way to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Rancor Red and two glasses. “Hey, I can only blame myself. It was my idea to capture you. Karrde said you would just bring us trouble, but I convinced him to do it. He was right. So, it is only fitting that I get my just reward…which I assume is getting Force strangled by Darth Vader.” She returned to the couch and set the glasses down as she opened the bottle of whiskey. “You might as well join me,” she said as she poured two glasses. “Hell, you’re a good-looking guy. Maybe we could get some goodbye kriffs in.” She gave him a look up and down and leered. “I could do a lot worse.”  
  
Luke buried his head in his hands and blew out a frustrated breath. “Mara, I appreciate you saying I’m attractive, and the idea of making love to such a beautiful woman is tempting, but if we do that you will hate me when you walk out of Emperor Vader’s throne room alive and well.”  
  
She took a shot of the high-end whiskey and shuddered as the liquid burned its way down her throat. “I am willing to take that chance.”  
  
Luke picked up the shot of whiskey she poured him, sniffed it, before setting it down undrunk. “Well, I’m not. I would really like you to return to Imperial service.”  
  
“As what?”  
  
“My bodyguard. There has been a number of attempts on my life. As you can imagine, I am not universally loved throughout the Empire.”  
  
She gave an unladylike snort of amusement. “That’s not surprising. I’ll tell you what. If I survive my meeting with Vader I’ll consider it.”  
  
“Great!” He scooted a little closer to her on the couch. “But to make this work we have to stick with the original plan. We have to convince the Emperor that we’re friends and I would be upset if something happened to you?”  
  
She frowned. “Why? I thought you had something on Vader. What does it matter what our relationship is?”  
  
Luke stopped in thought. “Ummm….well, Darth Vader won’t want to upset me, so he won’t hurt you…because…because he wants to keep me happy.”  
  
Her eyes narrowed. “Once again you are not making sense. You say you have something that Vader wants just tell him if he hurts me you won’t give him what he wants.” She shook her head. “What the hell could Vader want from you? This is going to drive me crazy. Just tell me your secret. I really can’t make an informed decision on whether to work for you if I don’t know the truth.”  
  
Luke blew out a frustrated breath. “Let’s just say Vader wants to keep a good relationship with me.”  
  
“A good relationship?” A look of horror crossed Mara’s face. “What the…? Are you and Darth Vader…lovers?”  
  
“No!” Luke was horrified by the implication. “Why would you think that?”  
  
“I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “He’s got this all black leather domination thing going on and you…well you are the opposite of that. How am I supposed to interpret your comment that he wants a relationship with you?”  
  
“He’s my father!” he screamed in frustration.  
  
“Your father?” Mara’s voice was one of astonishment. She leaned forward and grabbed the bottle of Rancor Red and poured herself another drink. After she slammed down the shot, she rubbed a hand over her face. “That’s even worse?”  
  
“How is that worse?” Luke said exacerbated. “Having Darth Vader as my father is worse than me and him having….” He couldn’t even say the words. “How is it worse?”  
  
She glowered at him. “You have been trying to convince the Grand Admiral that you are attracted to me and that is why you delayed contacting the Empire. What if Emperor Vader believes your story? Have you considered Darth Daddy might proclaim me ‘ _good breeding material’_ and gift me to his son?”  
  
“That’s not going to happen and even if it did, it would be better than getting Force choked.”  
  
“Forced to be your concubine is better than being Force choked! Is that your answer?” Mara reached back to the decorative pillow behind her head and threw it at the man. Luke ducked avoiding the foam filled missile. “Kriff you, Skywalker!” Mara protested adamantly. “I’m not going to be forced into a life of servitude.”  
  
Luke threw his hands up. “You’re not! I won’t let that happen. And I promise, my father won’t hurt you.”  
  
She sat up and gazed at him defiantly. “The Sith I once knew didn’t put a high value on life.”  
  
“He values me…and if he thinks I value you…he will leave you alone.”  
  
Her eyes narrowed. “Does that mean if I leave you…it will indicate I no longer have value to you, and he is free to Force choke the life out of me?”  
  
Luke shook his head. “No. We just have to convince him we are friends…and I would be upset if something happened to my friend. You can go back to your job. If you worry about my father, you can send me occasional video messages to convince him we are still on good terms.”  
  
She poured herself another drink. “You do know he has the Force. He can sense that we are not friends.”  
  
“Well, then, I guess we need to become friends so we can persuade him.” Luke stood and retrieved a long stem glass from the liquor cabinet and opened a second bottle of wine. He swirled the contents around the glass before holding it up as in a toast. “To our friendship.”  
  
“Kriff! This is so messed up.” She narrowed a cold look at him. “Just friends, right.”  
  
“Just friends.” A teasing smile crossed his face. “I know you probably want more…but I think it best that we keep this relationship platonic.”  
  
He expected her to toss another pillow, but she simply laughed…albeit a scathing laugh. “Tell me, how did Vader convince you to join him? You fought against him for years. He must have given you some compelling reason…other than _‘I’m your father’_.”  
  
Luke downed his wine before he refilled his glass and returned to the sectional, this time sitting a little closer to the woman. “You obviously heard the story that I confronted Darth Vader on Bespin, but what you don’t know is I didn’t agree to join him and the Empire until months after that meeting.”  
  
Her brow went up in surprise. “What’s the real story then?”  
  
“He first told me he was my father…and then he stated the only way I would survive my encounter with him was to join him so we could rule the galaxy as father and son.” Luke took another sip of his wine before continuing. “I opted for death. I jumped into a mile-long chasm in Cloud City fully intending to die.”  
  
When he paused Mara urged him on. “So, how did you survive?”  
  
“My father reached out with the Force and I found myself floating up in the air.” Luke chuckled. “I guess I forgot he has the Force and the ability to lift things…including his self-sacrificing son.”  
  
Mara had to laugh at the thought of the hero of the Rebellion thinking he was going to make the ultimate sacrifice only to find himself hovering helpless and in the clutches of a Sith Lord. “Then what happened?”  
  
“He must have done something with the Force to knock me out. I woke up in a prison cell in my father’s private castle on Mustafar. I was kept in isolation with only droids as my company…with the exception of my father. He visited me often and kept my existence secret from the Emperor. With each visit he told me a bit of his story. He told me how he met my mother, Padme´Amidala, the Former Queen of Naboo, how they secretly married, how he feared for the life of his unborn child and how Palpatine used that fear to manipulate him into doing his bidding. Eventually he did so many horrible things that he knew he had no place to go but to stay with the Emperor.” Luke stopped talking when his voice became too thick with emotion.  
  
She grabbed the new bottle of wine Luke opened and poured herself a drink. “He gives you a sob story and you believe it,” she said in disbelief.  
  
“I also have the Force and I can tell he is not lying.” He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Eventually he convinced me to help him take on Palpatine, but my father underestimated the Emperor’s powers. We confronted Palpatine onboard his Flagship _Eclipse_. I was taken out by a blast of Force lightning almost immediately. My father got between me and Palpatine and used his lightsaber to deflect the lightning back to the Emperor and I was able to crawl out of the Emperor’s throne room. A few minutes later Palpatine was dead and my father was severely injured.”  
  
“Wait,” Mara grew incredulous of the story. “If Palpatine was getting injured by his own Force lightning reflecting back at himself…why didn’t he stop?”  
  
“He did…he’s not stupid. And the second he stopped my father threw his lightsaber at the window behind the Emperor’s throne opening the room up to vacuum. The Emperor was sucked out of the ship. My father held on using his cybernetic limbs and was kept alive by his suit. He eventually made it to the airlock between the throne room and the outside corridor where I was located.”  
  
“So…you don’t know if the Emperor is dead or not?”  
  
Luke made a face. “He couldn’t live in a vacuum.”  
  
“He was the strongest Force-user I have ever met. His death just seems a bit too easy.”  
  
Luke rolled his eyes. “You're not one of those Palpatine conspiracy theorists, are you? You know the ones that think Palpatine is alive and well and preparing for his big come back?”  
  
“No…but I always thought I would be able to sense my Master’s death…and I didn’t.”  
  
“Believe me, he is dead, and his desiccated corpse is floating out in the vastness of space.”  
  
“Fine, he’s dead.” Mara said impatiently. “I still don’t trust that Darth Vader is now a benevolent Sith.”  
  
He sighed deeply, knowing Mara’s suspicions were completely understandable. “I am not trying to convince you that he is a changed man. He is still a darkside Sith…but his motives have changed. Before his actions revolved around serving the Emperor and helping him rule the galaxy. Now that he is nearing the end of his lifespan, he sees me as his legacy. He could have tried to convince me to go dark and rule with an iron fist, but he didn’t. He is preparing me to rule the way I want, and I want to be a benevolent ruler.”  
  
“But you definitely want to rule?”  
  
Luke grimaced. “Well, not really. When my father dies, I would like to restore the senate. Ruling the galaxy seems…exhausting.”  
  
Mara nodded in understanding. “It’s not a job I would want.”  
  
They sat together for a long silent moment before Luke spoke again. “I think if we are going to fool my father, we need to work on becoming friends…talk to each other…get to know one another…in a purely platonic way,” Luke added quickly before she could protest.  
  
She took another shot of her whiskey before nodding her head. “Okay. You want to play twenty questions?”  
  
Luke laughed softly. “Yeah, I would.”


	6. Chapter 6

_**Day 2 Aboard Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Flagship Chimaera**_  
  
Mara woke up the next morning lying on the couch and with a migraine so fierce that felt like a family of Orbalisk parasites had taken up residency in her skull. She lifted her head, shifted her body weight and promptly rolled off the couch, landing on four empty wine bottles.  
  
“Kriff!” She turned over to her knees and slowly stood, her balance wobbly, her vision blurred. She looked down and was relieved none of the bottles broke…and that she was fully clothed. She wasn’t positive, but she faintly remembered propositioning Skywalker the night before.  
  
She stumbled over to the ‘fresher. As she passed the bedroom, she saw Skywalker sprawled out on top of the bedsheets, in full military uniform, sans his knee-high leather boots.  
  
“What are you doing here?” she asked. When he didn’t move, she repeated the question, but much louder. Luke stirred, his eyes blinking a few times before his hands went to his temples. “Oh, my head.”  
  
Mara chuckled at the man’s discomfort. “lightweight.” She leaned against the doorjamb. “Why didn’t you go to your quarters?”  
  
He groaned as he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. “I rarely drink. I didn’t want my men seeing me staggering down the corridor.”  
  
She crossed her arms across her chest. “Instead you let the guards believe you stayed the night with me.”  
  
Luke propped his elbows on his knees and cradled his head in his hands. “I _did_ spend the night with you.”  
  
“You know what I mean.”  
  
He turned his head enough to look at her. “Mara, we’re trying to convince people I intentionally didn’t contact the Empire after my rescue because I wanted to spend time alone with you. That narrative will be completely unconvincing if I ignore you while on this ship. I am sure by now the guards have notified the Grand Admiral that I never left your quarters and Thrawn has probably passed on that information to my father.”  
  
“Oh great, now your father thinks I am a wanton woman.”  
  
“I really doubt that. He knows me too well.”  
  
“What is that supposed to mean?”  
  
He chuckled softly. “It means he knows I managed to remain a farmboy at heart and one not prone to entering relationships lightly.” He gazed at her warmly. “You should know that after hours of quizzing me last night.”  
  
She wanted to argue that fact, but she couldn’t. Last night they talked for hours and she got to know Skywalker…the real Skywalker. He is a good man…something rarely seen in people with absolute power.  
  
"You may be wholesome man of honor, but that doesn't help me." She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “You, unfortunately, are not the person who will decide my fate. It’s your father.” She pushed away from the doorjamb and moved down the hall to the ‘fresher.  
  
When Luke heard the door close, he slipped on his boots, and rose to his feet. He walked over to the room's tri-fold dresser mirror and gazed at himself. His eyes were bloodshot from too much wine, his uniform looked like it was slept in—which it was—and his short blond hair stuck up in odd directions. He opened the dresser looking for a comb or brush, but the drawers were empty. He instead used his fingers to smooth out any wayward hairs.  
  
He walked out of the room when he heard Mara exit the ‘fresher. He halted mid-step when he realized she was wearing one of the complimentary white bathrobes provided…and obviously little else. Apparently, there were combs or bushes within the ‘fresher because her red-gold shoulder length hair was no longer disheveled, but cleared of all tangles, every strand in place. She had toned arms, curvy hips and a narrow waist. Luke couldn’t understand how she could be in the ‘fresher less than five minutes and come out looking like a…a sexy bathrobe model.  
  
Mara smirked, obviously noticing the blush heating his face. “When I was arrested, I didn’t have my daytrip bag with me. Maybe you can get one of your men to fetch it from the Skipray.” She walked over to the couch and sat, crossing her legs in a way that she nearly exposed herself. Or perhaps she did; Luke had averted his eyes out of modesty.  
  
He cleared his throat. “I’ll have one of my men bring your luggage.” He looked at the empty wine bottles littering the floor. “And restock the wine cooler.” He walked over and picked up the bottles. “You know for somebody who claims they rarely drink…you really put away a lot.”  
  
She laughed. “I rarely touch the stuff and you did a fairly good job keeping up with me.”  
  
“And I am regretting it.” He gestured over to the liquor cabinet. “I’ll have some harder stuff brought to the room if you want to kill yourself by alcohol poisoning instead of facing my father. I can see you are scared.”  
  
“I’m not scared of your father,” she insisted.  
  
Luke shook his head in disbelief. “Everybody is scared of my father. With the exception of maybe Grand Admiral Thrawn, but he is smart enough to give Vader a wide berth.” He offered her a hard look. “And you are scared of him. I can feel it.”  
  
She averted her eyes, no longer denying it. “Do you fear him?” she asked.  
  
Luke tossed the discarded wine bottles in the trash before returning his attention to her. “I would be stupid not to. My father wants a relationship with me, but, what if I disappoint him? I’ve seen what happens to people who don’t rise to his expectations.”  
  
An unpleasant smile painted her lips. “As have I.”  
  
Luke sighed deeply as he sat down next to her. “I understand your concern, but he has been very…agreeable when it comes to my suggestions. I think he really wants to change. He talks about my mother often. He loved her. Emperor Palpatine told him he killed her and his unborn child in a rage. He believed him for almost two decades. It wasn’t until he saw me with Ben Kenobi that he became suspicious of the story. Later the Emperor told him he felt a disturbance in the Force and _‘the son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi.’_ My father told me he concealed his emotions well, but from that moment he started plotting against the Emperor. He wasn’t even sure my mother was actually dead. He had to have her remains exhumed and genetic tests done to prove her identity. He kept that secret from Palpatine.”  
  
“He might be agreeable to your suggestions, but I have to warn you, your father never liked me,” she admitted apprehensively. “I am sure he saw me as competition for Palpatine’s attention. He wanted to be the only Force user within Palpatine’s inner circle.”  
  
“Did he ever threaten you or try to kill you?”  
  
She scoffed. “If he tried to kill me…I would be dead. He is much stronger in the Force than I will ever be. He was almost as strong as Palpatine.”  
  
Luke went to put a comforting arm around her shoulder but then thought better of it and placed his hands on his knees. “If he didn’t kill you before, I doubt he’ll kill you now.”  
  
She turned and glared at him. “He didn’t kill me because he didn’t want to displease the Emperor…who is now dead.”  
  
He reached out and patted her knee as a comforting gesture. “He won’t kill you …I am sure of it.” He stood and straightened his uniform tunic. “I’m going to my quarters to get cleaned up. I’ll have your bag brought to you from the Skipray. I’ll be back in a few hours.” He walked over to the exit but turned before leaving. “And stop worrying.” The door slid open and he left, the door shutting shut behind him.  
  
“Stop worrying,” Mara mimicked sarcastically. “That’s easy for him to say. It’s not his life on the line.”  
  
.  
.  
.  
  
About an hour later her bag arrived, carried by a low-level Petty Officer, along with a case of wine to replace what she drank the night before. She showered and changed before plopping down on the couch to watch a holodrama. She decided to abstain from drinking, she was still nursing a hangover and didn’t want to prolong the agony.  
  
Halfway through the show Skywalker arrived unannounced, but at least he brought her food. He smiled as he pushed a small room service cart into the luxurious cabin. “I thought you might be hungry.” He lifted a metal, bell-shaped, plate cover keeping the food warm, revealing flatcakes, omelets, fruit and biscuits. “I wasn’t sure what you would like, so I got a little of everything offered in the officer dining facility.”  
  
She was going to make a sarcastic comment, but her growling stomach vetoed that idea. She decided to be polite, especially since Skywalker might be the only person who could assure her safety and release once they get to Coruscant.  
  
“Thank you.” She watched as he pushed the cart over to the quarter’s small dining area and began placing the serving dishes and plates onto the table. Mara noticed he put out two plates across from each other. “Are you joining me?”  
  
The smile dipped slightly from his face. “Unless you want to eat alone. I can leave if you want.”  
  
She shook her head. “No, stay. Although I hate to admit it…you’re not bad company.”  
  
Luke’s smile broadened. “Thank you.”  
  
She sat at the table and motioned for Luke to join her. Despite her headache she maintained her appetite. She used her fork to move a couple flatcakes over to her plate. Luke passed her a small jug filled with syrup which she poured over her breakfast. She took a bite and nodded in appreciation. “The food is good. It is nice to see that Imperial food remains tasty. Nobody on the Karrde crew knows how to cook. We bought a discount food synthesizer, but it’s malfunctioning lately. Everything has a slight metallic taste.”  
  
Luke poured two glasses of fruit juice from a carafe and passed one glass to Mara. “It’s much better than the food we were given in the rebellion. A lot of the meat was killed locally. I don’t think our cooks knew how to clean and butcher animals because once I was served a steak that still had some fur on it.”  
  
Mara made a face. “You ever figure out what type of animal it was?”  
  
Luke expression was queasy. “I am fairly sure it was a Yavin 4 Stintaril…which is a tree rodent.”  
  
“Sorry I asked,” Mara muttered as she ate her meal. She looked up at the man. “You should probably stay here again. Let the rumor mill run amok. It will only reinforce your story that you wanted some private time with me on Myrkr without Imperial interference.”  
  
Luke’s brow rose in surprise. “What exactly are you suggesting?”  
  
She pointed to the couch. “I’m suggesting that you take the couch tonight and I’ll sleep in the bed.”  
  
He smiled warmly, liking the idea of spending as much time as possible with Mara. “That sounds good to me.”  
  
.  
.  
.  
  
 _ **Day 3 Aboard Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Flagship Chimaera**_  
  
“I have been told you are spending your free time with Miss Jade.”  
  
Luke looked over to the Chiss admiral, wondering why he had brought this up. They were currently sitting in Thrawn’s ready room going over reports of pirating on the fringe of Imperial space. “Yes,” he admitted. “I enjoy her company greatly.”  
  
“Ah,” Thrawn commented. “And does the former Emperor’s Hand share that feeling of enjoyment?”  
  
Luke turned to the Admiral. “Are you suggesting that I am forcing my company upon a detainee?”  
  
The Admiral did not backpedal his statement but stared at Luke dispassionately. “When Miss Jade came aboard her body language suggested she would rather be anywhere else but here.”  
  
Luke chuckled. “That’s because she was nervous. I spent three days with her in which I didn’t contact the Emperor alerting him of my whereabouts. She was certain she would be blamed for the delay in contact.”  
  
“Sir, I suspect her nervousness stemmed from concealing her real position within the old Empire.”  
  
Luke didn’t argue the point. “You are usually…always…accurate when it comes to these things. She was right to be nervous. We did arrest her, and she's now being dragged across the galaxy to face the most feared man in the galaxy.” Luke paused in thought. “Despite her fear of retribution…she has enjoyed my company during this flight.” Luke was hopeful that his words would convince the Admiral…mostly because he honestly believed the lovely Mara Jade was warming up to him.  
  
One of the Admiral’s dark eyebrows rose. “I am pleased you and Miss Jade are getting along well. If she is still a loyal Imperial…loyal to the throne and not the former Emperor…she might be very valuable to Emperor Vader’s reign. She is, reportedly, a highly trained Force-user.”  
  
Luke eyes narrowed, wondering if there was another meaning to the Admiral’s words. Was he talking about involuntary conscription? “That’s up to her,” he said cautiously. “I offered her employment, but she has not made a decision yet.”  
  
“You never told me what position you offered Miss Jade.”  
  
Luke grinned slightly. “I said she could be the Supreme Commander’s Hand.”  
  
The Chiss gave a slight nod of the head. “And what if the Emperor wishes for her to return to her former position of the Emperor’s Hand?”  
  
The grin slipped from Luke’s face having never considered the option. “I suppose if he wants to make that offer, she will still have to make a decision as to accept or not.”  
  
“I have never known anybody say ‘No’ to Emperor Vader and survive,” the Chiss said evenly.  
  
Luke glanced away feeling uncomfortable with the conversation. “Yeah, it won’t come to that.”  
  
“You are the only man I know who appears comfortable talking on behalf of the Emperor without first consulting with his Eminence.”  
  
Luke said nothing. In the last couple years, he has realized that if a question was not asked there is no need to reply. Prior to learning that valuable lesson he had volunteered information that often came back to bite him on the ass. He already suspected that Grand Admiral Thrawn’s analytical brain deduced the relationship between Luke and Vader. It was a fact hidden from everybody. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Luke who demanded his paternity be kept secret, but Darth Vader himself. He never really discussed the subject at length. Whenever Luke brought up the name Anakin Skywalker, his father would become prickly before announcing, ‘that name has no meaning to me.’  
  
“Did I ever tell you that I once worked with your father,” Admiral Thrawn said nonchalantly.  
  
Luke’s eyes went wide with shock. It was like the Chiss knew exactly what he was thinking. “What?” was all he could think of saying.  
  
“I worked with General Anakin Skywalker…that was your father, was he not?”  
  
“Yes,” Luke muttered, now becoming very uncomfortable with the conversation.  
  
The Chiss sat back in his chair and gazed at the ceiling in thought. “It was over twenty years before the battle of Yavin. I first encountered General Skywalker in orbit above Batuu. He came to the planet to search for a missing senator. I was on an intelligence mission to discover the origins of the Clone Wars that was ravaging the galaxy on the fringes of Chiss space. Your father and I brokered a temporary accord. I would help him find his missing senator and he would educate me on the politics of the galactic conflict threatening to spill over into Chiss territory.”  
  
“Oh,” Skywalker said cautiously. “That’s interesting.” He looked up to discover red Chiss eyes boring into his.  
  
“Indeed.” The admiral shifted in his seat slightly to face Luke fully. “I’m surprised that you are not full of questions. I was told General Skywalker died shortly after Order 66 was issued. Did your caretakers give you a full account of his exploits?”  
  
“My uncle and aunt…yes, they told me about my father.”  
  
“Excellent.” He pointed to the holomap of the galaxy before continuing his briefing about the pirate attacks.  
  
Luke then realized his mistake. A boy that grew up without his father would jump on the chance to talk to somebody who knew and worked with his dad…unless his father was still alive and well and able to recount all of his adventures to his son personally. Luke wasn’t positive, but he suspected that Admiral Thrawn had just confirmed that Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were one and the same.  
  
‘Kriff,’ he thought silently.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Day 4 Aboard Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Flagship Chimaera**_  
  
Mara looked up from the combat hologame she was playing against Luke. “So…I’m the only person who knows you are the son of Vader?”  
  
“As far as I know…but I am fairly certain that Thrawn has his suspicions.”  
  
“What happens when Vader discovers that I know? Will he try to silence me?”  
  
“No. I am going to convince him to announce to the galaxy that he is my father and formally pick me as his heir apparent. That is the only chance I have of keeping control over the galaxy once he passes on.”  
  
“You keep saying that, is he sick?”  
  
“Yes,” Luke said softly. “He’s always sick. The suit Palpatine put him in was subpar and keeps him in a constant state of agony. I’ve talked to him about upgrading, but he’s not sure if he will survive the switch. His body may go into shock.”  
  
“He doesn’t really need a body,” Mara suggested. There are droids that can house a human brain.”  
  
Luke shivered at the thought. “I think that would totally devoid him of any humanity.”  
  
“Well, we don’t want that,” she said with a snarky tone. “He’s bad enough as it is.”  
  
Luke paused the game and looked over at Mara. “He isn’t the same Sith Lord you remember. Once Palpatine was gone he was free to become his own man. Wasn’t it the same for you?”  
  
She scowled. “No, when Vader killed Palpatine any protection I once had vanished. I ended up on the fringes of the galaxy working demeaning jobs and planning for the day I would kill the man who turned my life upside down.”  
  
Luke gave her a wary glance before unpausing the hologame. He maneuvered his hologram soldier to an area where he could get a good shot at the enemy. “That urge to kill is gone, isn’t it?”  
  
Mara gave an evil grin. “No, the urge is growing, and growing. Soon you will be dead, and I shall rule.”  
  
“What?” Luke muttered in confusion.  
  
He jumped when Mara yelled out. “Bam! You are _dead!”_ She laughed as she motioned toward the hologame. “I win. Sniper shot to your head and I am now the High Commander of this holoworld!”  
  
Luke blew out a breath. “Oh, yeah. You got me there.”  
  
She set down the game controller and picked up a glass of fizz-water. “We’ll be there in a few hours.” She didn’t expound on that thought and she didn’t need to. Luke knew she was worried about her fate.  
  
“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll accompany you. My father will interview…interrogate…perhaps thank you and you can go on your way.”  
  
She took a sip of her drink and set it down. “Can you do me a favor?”  
  
Luke looked to her and smiled. “Yes, of course.”  
  
“You mentioned that Thrawn probably already sent a message to your father, so that means you have a hyperwave transceiver…can I use it to contact my crew? Knowing Talon, he's probably worried sick and planning a rescue mission. I don’t want him getting hurt by doing something stupid.”  
  
Luke nodded. “Sure, there is a transceiver in this room. I will input the codes to allow its use.” He stood and walked over to communication nook, turned on the transceiver and punched in a security code. He turned to Mara. “I assume you want me to leave.”  
  
He was surprised when she demurred. “Not necessary.”  
  
“Maybe I should, so you will feel free to talk to Karrde privately about…I don’t know…private matters.”  
  
“Private matters?” Mara smirked. “Do you think Talon and I are romantically involved?”  
  
“No, no!” Luke said quickly.  
  
“Talon is like a father to me and Chin and Aves are like very annoying older brothers…but I they are the closest thing to family I have. I assume they are concerned about my welfare.” She turned and waved Luke off. “Just move to the side so they don’t see you.”  
  
She walked over to the communication unit and sat down in front of the holoprojector. She inputted Karrde’s communication code and initiated the call. It took a long minute before Talon's image appeared. A broad smile crossed his bearded face and a look of relief colored his expression. “Mara! I’m so glad to see you. Are you alright?”  
  
“Yes, I’ve been staying in the dignitary wing of the ship. I got to use their hyperwave radio, which is probably monitored, but I thought I’d give you a call anyway. Are you surviving at work without me?”  
  
Talon shrugged. “It’s tough, but we are managing. The reward money Skywalker transferred to us is a big help.”  
  
Mara couldn’t help but give a sideward glance to Skywalker who averted his eyes. “He told me he was planning to send one hundred thousand credits.”  
  
Talon’s grin grew wider. “He did and don’t worry, I put your hundred thousand in the bank for safe keeping.”  
  
“We got one hundred thousand credits EACH?” Mara turned to Skywalker again and this time talked. “You really do want to impress me.” She returned her attention back to the holoprojector only to find Talon smirking.  
  
“He’s in your quarters? He’s there to monitor your conversation, I assume.” Karrde’s voice was playful and sarcastic at the same time. Obviously, he believed something was going on between the two.  
  
“He’s been my personal guard since I boarded this ship. He’s sticking to me like glue.”  
  
Karrde laughed. “I’m glad things are going well. When are you coming back to work?”  
  
Mara hesitated slightly. “As soon as possible…unless I am given a job offer that I can’t refuse. The Emperor has invited me to Coruscant so he can personally thank me.”  
  
“Ah,” Karrde muttered, sounding nervous. “I hope everything works out for the best. Please keep in contact.”  
  
“I’ll contact you as soon as my meeting with the Emperor concludes. I should know by then what my future holds.”  
  
“I look forward to hearing from you again.”  
  
“Same here. See you soon.” With that said, she signed off. She turned to Skywalker. “That is a hefty reward.”  
  
“It is,” he admitted. “But I’m worth it.”  
  
She made a scoffing sound. “I see becoming Supreme Commander didn’t go to your head.”  
  
“I’m sure my father is going to take it out of my pay. Fortunately, the pay for a Supreme Commander is a lot more than my Rebel Alliance stipend.”  
  
She turned in her seat and gazed at him questioningly. “Do you miss being a Rebel?”  
  
He shrugged slightly. “I miss my friends…but I know there is no going back.”  
  
“And why would you go back? I have no idea what they are still rebelling against? Galactic Health Care? Universal Sentient Rights? Or maybe the abolishment of slavery?”  
  
Luke smiled. “I think they are basically rebelling against my father. I understand it. Darth Vader is responsible for the death of billions. The fact that he remains in charge is abhorrent to them.”  
  
“Well, there is not much they can do about that.” Mara said. “Darth Vader is one of the most powerful Sith Lords that has ever lived, and he has the 501st Legion protecting him. There is no getting to him.” She thought about it for a pause. “You know, maybe that’s why the rebels wanted you alive.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“I think they wanted to flip you…bring you back to their cause. You have access to Darth Vader…they don’t know you are kin…so they probably believe you can be swayed to return to the rebellion. They could use you to kill Vader and then they believe they can step into the leadership void.”  
  
Luke knitted his brow. “Why would they think they could fill a leadership void? We have a chain of command. If I killed my father, I would be shot and then Grand Admiral Thrawn would take over the government.”  
  
“Exactly, but that’s how you rebels think. When you blew up the Death Star did you believe the Imperial government would collapse on itself?”  
  
He looked away, remaining silent.  
  
Mara let out a barking laugh. “You did, didn’t you? I guess you forgot about all of those hundreds of Star Destroyers and thousands of frigates and cruisers, and maybe a million of Tie Fighters and let us not forget an Imperial army and navy of over four billion people. Your rebellion didn’t have the manpower to take over the Empire.”  
  
“I know. That point was discussed in depth by my father. It was one of the reasons I decided to join him. He showed to me the futility of what we were trying to do.” Luke walked to the door. “We will exit hyperspace shortly. I have some things to do before we get to Coruscant.”  
  
“Okay, I’ll be here,” she muttered as he left. “Hopefully I will still be around after our meeting with Darth Daddy.”


	8. Chapter 8

**_Imperial Palace, Coruscant_**  
  
Luke walked out of his father’s office feeling exhausted. He told Vader his fake story about how he purposely didn't contact the Empire in order to spend more time with a woman he found fascinating. His father asked a number of questions before dismissing him and telling him to escort Mara Jade inside.  
  
“He’s ready to see you.” Mara rose from a corridor bench and entered the Emperor’s throne room. When Luke tried to follow the Royal Guards brought down their Force pikes barring his entrance. He looked back and forth to the guards. “What’s going on?”  
  
“Emperor’s orders,” the red helmeted guardsman said in a low voice. “He wishes to see the former Emperor’s Hand alone.”  
  
“No!” Luke went to push his way past the guards, but one guardsman’s frantic whisper gave him pause, “Sir, if we fail to follow orders…our lives are forfeit.” Luke took a step back, knowing he was now left in an impossible situation. He could force his way into the throne room to protect Mara…and in doing so condemn two loyal soldiers to death. Or he could let her meet his father alone and hope his ruse worked. He gazed at Mara sadly. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“It’s okay,” Mara said softly. “I knew this would happen.” She turned and strolled into the Emperor’s throne room, the door silently sliding shut behind her. She moved without hesitation; her head held high. Sitting on what was once Palpatine’s throne was Darth Vader. Everything about him was as she remembered with the exception that his once matte black cape was now trimmed with gold fringe indicating his new rank as Emperor. She moved forward until she was only four meters from the man and centered upon his throne. She dropped down to a knee, something she had done hundreds of times for Emperor Palpatine. As she bowed her head, she greeted the new ruler. “Your Majesty.”  
  
Vader looked to the guards surrounding his throne and waved them off. “Leave us.”  
  
They did not hesitate but filed out of the room immediately. When the doors were shut, and privacy assured Darth Vader rose out of his seat. “The Supreme Commander debriefed me about his rescue. It was a very interesting story…unfortunately the Supreme Commander is not skilled at deception. The only thing he was truthful about was the fact that he told you I am his father.” He stepped down from throne platform and moved toward Mara. “I am giving you one chance to tell me the truth.”  
  
Mara sighed deeply as she rose to her feet. She knew she was dead, so there was no reason to hold back. “I captured your son after sensing him call out through the Force and tried to sell him to the highest bidder. The purchase was interrupted by the untimely arrival of Admiral Thrawn.”  
  
Mara kept her eyes down waiting for the killing blow, but it never arrived. All she heard was the coarse mechanical breathing of the Sith Lord. Eventually the Emperor spoke. “You heard him call out through the Force?”  
  
Mara was confused by the question. “Yes, Lord Vader. I _am_ a Force Adept.”  
  
Her eyes remained down, but she heard him return to his throne. She glanced up to find the Sith Lord gazing down at her. “Force communication was always your strength.”  
  
“It was Emperor Palpatine’s strength,” Mara corrected. “Skywalker’s voice was the first I have heard since my master’s Death. I suspect he is the one with a talent for Force communication.”  
  
Mara heard a strange rumbling sound coming from Vader. It took a few seconds before she realized he was…laughing. “You underestimate your power in the Force. Emperor Palpatine could not communicate with me across the galaxy as he did with you.” He sat down, still regarding her; his expression hidden by his dark mask. “That type of communication is rare and usually only possible between two people with a strong Force bond…such as Master and apprentice or two closely related individuals. I heard my son’s call for help. It is strange that you heard it as well.”  
  
Mara shrugged. “As far as I know I am no relation to you or your son.”  
  
“That is what makes your connection as curious as it is rare.”  
  
“Your son and I do _not_ have a connection. He was dying in space and was practically screaming out through the Force. Probably every Force user in a hundred parsec radius heard his call.”  
  
“That is doubtful,” Vader said slowly. “Reach out in the Force and call to him.”  
  
“Why? There’s no bond between us,” she insisted.  
  
She jumped back when Vader quickly stood and shouted at her. “Call to him!”  
  
 _‘Luke!’_ she shouted out through the Force. To her surprise Luke’s voice immediately popped into her head.  
  
 _‘Mara! Are you alright?’_  
  
Her jaw went slack as her eyes widened with surprise. She truly believed it was a fluke when she heard Skywalker’s frantic call for help through the Force, but evidently, she could communicate with him just as clearly. She didn’t know if Emperor Vader was privy to their thoughts, but it was obvious that he knew he had proven his point when he chuckled and sat back down. She swallowed hard before allaying Luke’s fears. _‘I’m okay, Luke’_  
  
“The Force binds us all together,” Vader said in his deep baritone voice, “but some bonds are greater than others.”  
  
“Well…that’s just great.” Mara wasn’t thrilled with all this talk about bonding. She waited for Vader to continue, but when he remained silent, she asked, “So…am I free to go?”  
  
“What are your intentions when it comes to my son?”  
  
This question caught Jade completely off guard. “Intentions? I have no intentions when it comes to Luke Skywalker.”  
  
“Then why did he sleep in your quarters?”  
  
She blew out a frustrated breath. “To make his concocted story more believable. He didn’t want it discovered that I kidnapped him. He needed a compelling reason to explain why he didn’t contact you for a few days. He thought if you believed we had romantic feelings for each other, you might spare me.”  
  
“ _Do_ you have amorous feelings for him?”  
  
“Aggghh,” Mara groaned. “I just met your son less than a week ago. I haven’t had time to develop any feelings for him. Does that mean you’re going to kill me?” She glared at Vader. “Do I need to kriff your son and give you a grandchild in order to live? Because I can do that. A year out of my life in exchange for my freedom. You got it. If that’s what you really want.”  
  
There was a very long pause before Vader leaned back in his throne. “That is not a decision I can make.”  
  
She was confused by that comment. “You’re the galaxy’s all-powerful Emperor. Of course, it is your decision.”  
  
“No,” he said softly before pausing, his mechanical breathing sounding harsher then she remembered. “That is a choice you must make freely. I cannot interfere with the will of the Force.” He shifted his weight on his throne before making a shooing motion with his hand. “Go.” When she didn’t move, he repeated himself in a much louder voice. “Go!”  
  
Mara turned and rushed out of the throne room only to be intercepted by Skywalker in the corridor. “What did he say?”  
  
Mara pushed past him intent on getting off the planet as soon as possible. “He said he knew you were lying. He asked me for the truth, which I told him.”  
  
Luke followed her, increasing his pace until he was next to her. “What did he say then?”  
  
“He said I was free to go.”  
  
Luke made a face. “You are lying about something. What exactly did he say?”  
  
Mara stopped and whirled around on her heel to face Skywalker. “He hinted that our ability to communicate through the Force means we have a Force bond.”  
  
Luke looked confused. “What does that mean?”  
  
“I don’t know. He also asked if I had any romantic feelings for you.”  
  
“Oh…” Mara could sense his unspoken question. He wanted to know that answer to that particular query but was too shy to ask.  
  
“I told him we haven’t known each other long enough to develop any type of relationship.” Mara turned and started walking again. “I need to get back to my crew.”  
  
Luke caught up with her. “Can’t I convince you to stay?”  
  
“No, I am getting out while I have a chance.”  
  
Skywalker looked disappointed but didn’t argue. “We’ll take my shuttle up to the Admiral’s ship and you can leave in your Skipray.”  
  
Mara didn’t want to go back to an Imperial ship, but she also didn’t want Karrde to lose a valuable Skipray. “Fine,” she said with a nod.  
  
She was still a little shaken as they walked down the palace corridors to the shuttle bay. She faced Darth Vader and lived, but she knew the Sith could change his mind at any moment and she wanted to be out of the Emperor’s reach in case that happened. She turned to Luke. “Are you going to get in trouble now that I told your father the truth?”  
  
He pulled out a key fob as they neared his Imperial shuttle and pushed a button to lower the ramp. “I doubt it. As you said, he knew I was lying.”  
  
She got halfway up the ramp before she stopped and turned. “But he doesn’t know the real reason why you lied.”  
  
Luke gazed at her in confusion. “To protect you.”  
  
She shook her head adamantly. “No, to protect your precious Princess along with your own ass. I really doubt you care about what happens to a bunch of cutthroat smugglers.”  
  
He turned and walked the rest of the way up the ramp. “That is not entirely true. I would like you to join me. I could use a Force adept on my side.”  
  
“But you mainly did it for the Princess,” Mara bit out. She didn’t know why, but the fact that he cared so much for a woman who was willing to pay to have him thrust into a stasis cylinder irritated her. This was especially confusing because last week all she wanted to do was murder Luke Skywalker. Why did she suddenly feel protective of the man? “Am I wrong?”  
  
A blush warmed his face. “It is true, but what I told you was the truth. I love Leia like a sister and Han is like a brother to me. Leia and I never…we were never romantic. I thought something might happen between us at first, but…I don’t know…things changed…feelings changed. I think I was picking up her attraction to Han. Han is this older, cocky guy, with a ship of his own. He’s the kind of guy who always gets the girl.”  
  
She raised a slim eyebrow. “You are now in command of fleets of Imperial ships. What’s your excuse now?”  
  
Luke blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t know…you tell me. You’re a woman who just can’t wait to get away from me. Why?”  
  
Her usual stern facial expression softened. “There is nothing wrong with you. I’ve actually grown to like you…as a friend, but you have to understand, I am just overcoming my recent misplaced hatred for you and your father is a Dark Lord Sith that I fear might choke me to death on a whim. It is a bit overwhelming.”  
  
Luke sighed deeply as he looked down at the deck. “When we announce that I am the son of Vader it will be a bit overwhelming for any woman. It won’t matter how many fleets I command. I’ll be seen as a dangerous Force-adept…a freak of nature…something to be feared…like my father. No one will feel truly comfortable in a relationship with me.”  
  
Mara gave a roll of her eyes as she moved to the shuttle's flight deck. “Please, don’t get all gloomy on me. Hell, if you desire female companionship you can always visit your royal pleasure harem.”  
  
“I don’t have a harem,” Luke groused as he sat the pilot’s seat.  
  
“Maybe you should get one,” Mara teased. “I’m sure a lot of women would sign up voluntarily. Many ladies are attracted to men in uniform and in position of power despite the eerie Force abilities. As long as there isn’t emotional connection, they may feel safe enough kriff’n the son of Vader.”  
  
“I doubt it,” he said slowly. “I don’t see many women throwing themselves at my father.”  
  
She laughed as she sat in the copilot seat. “Can he even have a physical relationship? I mean, I never seen him out of his suit.”  
  
Luke laughed harshly. “It’s nice to know you haven’t seen my father in the nude.”  
  
She gave a disapproving glare. “You know what I mean…in regular clothing and not his leather domination outfit. Have you seen him in something other than his leather suit?”  
  
He remained silent for a long time. “Yes, when he does his bacta immersions. He wears bacta shorts with weighted belt. He is missing his arms and legs. He would have just gotten cybernetic limbs if it wasn’t for his respiratory problems. His lungs are shot…something about breathing in Sulphur dioxide and extreme heat damaging his lungs. The suit has an artificial lung. The only reason he can get out of it for the bacta dips is he is in a special hyperbaric chamber. He explained it to me…something about the high oxygen content and pressure in the chamber can increase the oxygen levels in the blood plasma. Also, he has special bacta with high oxygen levels. I don’t think a normal person would survive any of this though. He relies heavily on the Force when he is out of the suit.”  
  
“Kriff, that was more than I wanted to know. I was just curious if he could have sex.”  
  
“Oh,” Luke thought about it. “I don’t think so. Most of his flesh is burnt off. The damage is so severe I assume all protruding parts of his body suffered the same fate.”  
  
“Okay,” Mara said slowly. “Now I know why he is always so pissed off.”  
  
“And why he doesn’t want to lose me,” Luke added. “He can never have more children.” Luke looked down at the flight controls and started the shuttle pre-check.  
  
Mara went silent when he brought up the subject of children. Vader’s words confused her. Why was he so…nonthreatening…insisting that her relationship with his son had to be completely consensual? It was like he knew something…perhaps a vision of the future.  
  
“Mara?” Luke said softly. “Are you alright?”  
  
“Yes.” She blinked a few times pulling herself out of her musings. “I like your father’s new cape,” she said, deliberately changing the subject. “Was that your idea or his?”  
  
“I think it was Grand Admiral Thrawn’s idea. Since my father can’t wear a military uniform, that was the next best thing. It looks a little more military and less…” Luke paused, looking for the right word.  
  
“Sithy?” Mara suggested.  
  
He laughed as he powered up his shuttle. “Yes, Sithy.” The green light on the console panel indicated the ship was ready to fly. Luke put both hands on the steering yoke before turning to her. “Are you sure you want to leave? I can pay more than Karrde can.”  
  
“You don’t know what Karrde pays me,” she pointed out.  
  
“It doesn’t matter,” he replied. “I can pay more.”  
  
She averted her eyes as she drew in a calming breath. “I just want to go home. Perhaps under different circumstances I would have given you a different answer…but right now I want to return to my crew.”  
  
Luke heaved a sigh as he maneuvered the ship up and out of the docking bay. “Maybe we’ll meet again. Please consider my offer until then.”  
  
She glanced over to him and smiled. “I’ll consider your offer.”  
  
He nodded. “That is all I can ask.”


	9. Chapter 9

_**Grand Admiral Thrawn's Flagship Chimaera**_  
  
As soon as Mara was back on the _Chimaera_ , she said her goodbyes to Skywalker and boarded her skipray. Within ten minutes she was gone, leaving Luke with a hollow feeling. He had hoped she would stay. He truly thought her finding him in the vastness of space was the will of the Force…that she came into his life for a reason, but he could see the error of his thinking. Sometimes things just happen. After seeing Mara off Luke returned to his quarters only to find an unwelcome guest sitting on his couch.  
  
“Hello, there,” the bluish apparition of Obi-Wan Kenobi said cordially. “You didn’t return back to your quarters for the last few nights. Could that be because of that attractive redhead I saw you with earlier.”  
  
Luke glowered at his former master. “How long are you going to haunt me?”  
  
“Until you come to your senses and realize the Empire is an immoral and malicious government and your father is the epitome of evil.”  
  
“Says the man who lied to me constantly from the day we met until the day he died.”  
  
“Luke, if I told you the truth you would have ran to your father,” the elderly Jedi responded. “I know what it is like growing up without parents—the thought of reuniting with your family is never far from one’s mind.”  
  
“And still you kept me away from my father.” Luke glared at him angrily. “And not only that…you tore my father away from his mother! The Jedi separated two generations of Skywalkers from their families!”  
  
“You father wanted to be a Jedi. He didn’t come kicking and screaming.”  
  
“He was nine years old and idolized the Jedi order.” Luke huffed before walking over to the kitchen and pulling out a juice bottle from the cooling unit. “You and the Jedi were the reason he turned to the darkside.”  
  
“What rubbish!” Obi-Wan threw his hands up in the air. “How did he justify blaming the Jedi for him turning evil?”  
  
Luke sat on a chair across from Obi-Wan and took a long sip of of his drink before responding. “You tore him away from his mother and left her in slavery! Why didn’t you free her?”  
  
“It…it was unavoidable.” Obi-Wan stammered as he ran his hand over his white beard. “We were not in Republic territory. Out credits weren’t good there.”  
  
“Really, you are actually going with that excuse?” Luke shook his head in disgust. “There is a currency exchange kiosk in every spaceport in the galaxy.”  
  
“I assure you, there was not.”  
  
“Okay, how about after you left? Once you got to Coruscant or wherever you were going you could have picked up the proper currency, jewelry, rare minerals and went back and bought his mother’s freedom…but you didn’t. In fact, the Jedi didn’t seem to care about eradicating slavery…but do you know who eventually did end slavery…Darth Vader!”  
  
The Jedi apparition pointed a finger at Luke. “ _You_ eradicated slavery, not Vader! I know _all_ of the recent reforms came from you and not your father.”  
  
“You’re trying to change the subject. You left my grandmother to languish as a slave.”  
  
“The woman was bought by a man who became her husband. She didn’t languish as a slave.”  
  
“Did you know that?”  
  
Obi-Wan looked away.  
  
“Answer me,” Luke insisted. “Did you know that?”  
  
The apparition looked down at the floor. “No.”  
  
“So that brings me back to my original statement about the Jedi being responsible for his fall. My father returned to Tatooine only to discover his mother was kidnapped by Tuskin Raiders and tortured. When he found her, she died in his arms. It was a turning point for him and one that could have been prevented if you had returned to the planet and made sure his mother was freed.”  
  
“The Jedi don’t get involved in planetary politics outside of the Republic.”  
  
“That’s a load of crock and you know it.”  
  
“Luke,” the Force ghost pleaded. “Can we please get back to the subject at hand. You cannot allow yourself to be manipulated by Vader.”  
  
“You are contradicting yourself,” Luke was near the end of his patience. “First you say all the reforms came from me and not my father and then you state Vader is manipulating me. Name one evil thing that I have done since I joined my father. Just one!”  
  
The hazy blue apparition did not answer.  
  
“See, every change in the Empire in the last two years has been beneficial…but you don’t want to see it. It is the same with the rebellion. You have a score to settle with my father and you just can’t let it go.”  
  
“Yes, I have a score to settle. He killed me.”  
  
“I saw your death. You let him kill you…and I know why. It was _you_ manipulating _me_! You wanted to make sure I hated Darth Vader. You fought him to a standstill until you knew I was watching and then you raised your lightsaber and let him kill you…all in an effort to turn me against my father.”  
  
“Need I remind you that your father captured and tortured your friends.”  
  
“True, but they weren’t permanently harmed, whereas you tortured my father, cut off his limbs and left him for dead in scorching lava. You could have at least put him out of his misery…but instead you stole his lightsaber and left him to suffer horribly. Then you give me his lightsaber and tell me he wanted me to have it…like you parted as friends and you were just passing on a gift.”  
  
The dead Jedi Master crossed his arms across his chest and shook his head. “Your father and I were in a fight to the death. I begged him not to attack me…I had the high ground.”  
  
Luke groaned as he buried his head in his hands. “There you go again with the high ground.”  
  
Obi-wan looked indignant. “Everyone knows the high ground has a tactical advantage.”  
  
Luke stood and pointed at the specter. “Leave me alone and get off my couch…and why do you need to sit at all? Are your ghost feet getting sore?”  
  
“I do it to make you feel more comfortable. If you like I could float around the ceiling.”  
  
“Oh, so you can proclaim that you have the high ground? I’ll take a hard pass on that. Go away!”  
  
Obi-wan frowned deeply before fading off to nothing.  
  
“This is so kriffed up,” Luke groused before going off to bed.


	10. Chapter 10

_**~Two Months Later~**_  
  
“Kriff!” Aves shouted as he tried frantically to plot in a short jump away from the Imperial Star Destroyer blockade. Mara ran up behind him and dropped down into the co-pilot seat and took over the piloting duties as her comrade worked on plotting a course. “Karrde! She yelled back to the cargo bay. “Any chance of getting rid of any illegal cargo without being seen?”  
  
Before she could get an answer the _Wild Karrde_ rocked. “Frack, they got us in a tractor beam.” There was no use piloting anymore. She ran back to the cargo bay where Karrde and Chin were shoving any questionable contraband into the ray-shielded hidden compartments. She looked to her boss. “Any chance that they won't find the spice?”  
  
Karrde’s face was grim. “Doubtful if they bring a scanning crew aboard.”  
  
She blew out a frustrated breath. “Luckily it is only Scarn. Having pre-spice is semi-legal…although it will put us on the _‘Search on sight’_ list with the Imperials.”  
  
“Yeah,” Karrde said slowly as he held up a long, black mesh bag. “Unfortunately, the Mandalorian disruptor rifle and a thermal detonator in this bag are highly illegal. I was hoping to shoot them out the airlock, but now that we are caught in a tractor beam…” he trailed off, not finishing the sentence.  
  
“We only have a couple illegal weapons…for personal protection. They shouldn’t add in the smuggling charge on top of the possession.”  
  
Karrde shook his head. “Possession itself is a twenty-year sentence.” He let the bag drop to the floor as he walked up to the flight deck. “I’m sorry. The disruptor rifle was my idea. I’ll take full responsibility. Hopefully, my crew won’t suffer for my poor judgement.”  
  
Aves turned around when they walked onto the flight deck. “We are being hailed by the Imperial Star Destroyer _Redeemer_. We are to power down, drop shields and prepare to be boarded once we are in the ventral docking bay.”  
  
Aves looked to his boss for orders. Talon pointed out the viewing port. “Do what they say. We don’t want to give them an excuse to blow us into so much space dust.”  
  
Aves nodded and shut down the engines. “Shields down, boss.”  
  
Karrde looked down at the deck before gazing at his crew. “Let me do the talking. The Scarn shouldn’t get us in too much trouble as long as long as they can’t prove it is going to be refined as spice.” Karrde walked back to the cargo area. “I’ll hide the weapons and hope they don’t find it. If they do, I’ll tell them they’re mine.”  
  
About ten minutes later, there was some turbulence and then a thud as the ship landed on the deck of the Star Destroyer docking bay.  
  
Mara jumped when she heard a familiar voice sound off in her head. _[“Hello, Mara. We meet again. Does this mean you’ve reconsidered my offer?”]_  
  
Skywalker! She took a deep breath and blew it out. _[“At this point I am willing to consider anything.”]_  
  
There was a pause. _[“Does that mean you’re not going to pass our custom’s check?”_ ]  
  
 _[“It depends on how thorough your men are?”]_  
  
 _[“I’ll meet you. Be cooperative until then.”]._ Mara wasn’t sure, but she thought she sensed a tinge of amusement coming from the Supreme Commander.  
  
Mara walked back to the cargo area where Karrde had finished tucking away his weapons. “I’ll go and meet the inspection crew.”  
  
Karrde looked to her in surprise. “I’m the Captain of this ship. They'll want to see me.”  
  
“No,” Mara remarked. “The Supreme Commander is onboard. It's me he wants to see.”  
  
Talon looked toward the flight deck. “I didn’t hear any further communications from the Imperials. How do you know?”  
  
She gave him a look of exasperation. “You know how.”  
  
Karrde smirked knowingly. “Oh…I didn’t know that was possible. What else can you do?”  
  
“I’ll give you the whole story if we get out of this unscathed.”  
  
Chin ran into the cargo hold. “We are so screwed. Skywalker just walked onto the deck. You don’t think he’s still mad about the kidnapping and trying to sell him to the rebels, do you? I mean, I know he gave us a reward, but he may have had some second thoughts.”  
  
“Him mad?” Mara said sarcastically. “Why would he be mad? What’s a little kidnapping between friends?” She lowered the loading ramp and walked down to where Skywalker was waiting.  
  
“Hello Mara,” Luke said happily. “It is so nice to see you.” He turned to the captain in charge of the platoon of Stormtroopers accompanying him. “Captain Decker, I’ll inspect the ship. These are old friends of mine. You can dismiss your men.”  
  
The Captain opened his mouth, probably to protest, but then shut it and nodded. “Yes Sir.” He turned on his heel and dismissed his Platoon.  
  
Luke motioned toward the ship. “Shall we get on with the inspection?”  
  
Mara rolled her eyes. “Sure, do you have a list of things you want to inspect?”  
  
Luke chuckled. “No, but I thought I would improvise.”  
  
They walked side by side up the boarding ramp. Skywalker stopped when he met Talon on the top of the ramp. “Captain Karrde.” He held out his hand in greeting. “It’s always a pleasure.”  
  
Talon Karrde looked at Luke’s hand cautiously before he shook Luke’s hand. “No hard feelings?”  
  
“None at all…that is if you can let me borrow your second-in-command for a moment in private?”  
  
Karrde gave Mara a guarded look. “That is entirely up to Mara.”  
  
“It’s okay, Talon,” Mara replied. “He said he is going to do a search…so let him search.” She grasped the sleeve of Skywalker’s dress uniform and pulled him down the corridor. “We’ll start in my cabin.”  
  
“Ahhh…” Karrde muttered. “Exactly what type of search is he going to do?”  
  
Mara rolled her eyes. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Talon.”  
  
Luke turned and gave Karrde a wink. “I need to check her for tracking devices.”  
  
“Knock it off,” she growled at Luke as she pushed him inside her cabin and shut the door behind her. She leaned against the bulkhead, arms crossed across her chest, glaring at him. “You already know we can’t pass inspection, so what is it going to take to get out of our current predicament? Am I going to have to audition for your pleasure harem?”  
  
Luke’s eyes went wide. “First of all, I still don’t have a pleasure harem and second…what the hell are you smuggling that you are willing to offer up your virtue to hide it.”  
  
A sardonic laugh escaped her lips. “Virtue? Your choice of words is comical.”  
  
“Call it what you like. What are you smuggling? Slaves, nacro-spice, nerve gas?”  
  
“Scarn.”  
  
Luke’s brow furrowed. “Scarn is not illegal.”  
  
“And maybe a disruptor rifle…and a thermal detonator.”  
  
“Is that all?” Luke said looking relieved. “The way you were talking I thought you really did something horrible. I think I can look the other way when it comes to something that insignificant.”  
  
“Yeah, but at what price,” Mara asked him again.  
  
“Can we sit?” She nodded and sat on the edge of her bunk while Luke pulled out her desk chair and settled down in it. “I’ve missed you. I wondered if you perhaps reconsidered my job offer.”  
  
“No, I enjoy my job and my freedom.”  
  
“You would be free.”  
  
“Skywalker, you want something more from me…and I am not interested.”  
  
He shook his head adamantly. “No, I just want your friendship and I’d like to offer you a job. I am not asking for a relationship.”  
  
She sighed deeply. “Platonic friends?”  
  
He nodded with a smile. “Yes, completely.”  
  
She thought about it. “Okay, platonic is good because I’ve been dating someone.”  
  
The smile faded from his eyes and lips. “Oh, ummm…I didn’t know.”  
  
“Ha!” Mara smirked at the man. “See, if you only wanted a platonic friendship then me dating wouldn’t be a problem.”  
  
“No, but I was hopeful to lure you away to work for me…but luring you away from a lover is a different story.” He smiled weakly. “Congratulations.”  
  
“Kriff! Skywalker stop looking so miserable. I’m not dating anybody. I just wanted to see what you would say.”  
  
“That’s not very nice, Mara.” Skywalker expression was stern for about a nanosecond before he smiled and changed the subject. “If you won’t work for me…how about a date?”  
  
Her jaw dropped in astonishment. “What?”  
  
“Stay a few hours. Your crew will be welcome at the Officer’s Club as my guests and you and I can have some dinner.”  
  
“In your quarters, no doubt.”  
  
Luke grinned widely. “Wherever you like, Mara. I have a dining room in my quarters, but you can join me at the Officer Mess if you so desire. I can introduce you to Commodore Vanto who commands this ship when I’m not on board. Well, in all honesty, he really commands this ship all the time. My military experience is pretty much limited to X-Wings and air speeders. So, what do you say? Dinner?”  
  
Mara looked him up and down for a long moment. She had to admit, it wasn’t a bad way to get out of this mess and perhaps the crew can make some contacts onboard. Imperials are often their best customers, often asking for expensive liquors, cigaras and other hard to get luxury items.  
  
“Your quarters will be fine.”  
  
He gave her a devastating smile, “Outstanding.”  
.  
.  
.  
Mara walked into Luke’s quarters…his massive ship’s quarters. It was bigger than Palpatine’s throne room, with a huge sitting room, full kitchen, and two bedrooms with private ‘freshers. After Luke gave her the tour, he called down to the Officer Dining Facility and ordered room service. “I’m having them send a couple bottles of that wine you liked when on Admiral Thrawn’s ship.”  
  
“Are you going to try to get me drunk?”  
  
Luke laughed. “No, but maybe I’ll let you get me drunk.” He sat down on the large couch and patted the seat next to him. She reluctantly sat down, trying to keep a respectful distance from the man.  
  
“What are you doing on the _Redeemer_? I thought you traveled on the _Chimaera_.”  
  
“I have quarters on all the fleet flagships, but I prefer staying on the _Redeemer_.”  
  
“Why is that?”  
  
“Because Commodore Vanto doesn’t intimidate me like Grand Admiral Thrawn does. Eli Vanto is closer to my age and is very easy-going. When I am with Thrawn I always feel like I am under his scrutiny.”  
  
“I don’t blame you. He is hard to read through the Force.” She crossed her legs and regarded him. “Tell me, was your father mad that you lied about me kidnapping you?”  
  
Luke shrugged nonchalantly. “Not really. He said he couldn’t fault me for doing something he did as a young man…lie and deceive when it comes to women. As a Jedi he was banned from forming any attachments. The Jedi could not marry or have children. He wanted both but didn’t want to give up the Jedi Order.”  
  
Mara’s eyes narrowed. “Is that what you want…a wife and children?”  
  
He looked at her with a guilty smile. “One day…the Force willing.”  
  
She groaned in frustration. “Well, keep looking, because it isn’t going to be with me.”  
  
He rose and went to his cooler and pulled out a bottle of wine. “This isn’t exactly the type you favored, but it is a sweet white if you want some.”  
  
She rolled her eyes. “Are you just going to ignore what I said?”  
  
“No,” he sighed softly. “You’re not interested in me. I got it…but you have to admit, I am useful to you. Why don’t we work from there? You use me to get out of difficult smuggling situations and in exchange you tolerate me for an occasional dinner.” She opened her mouth to say something, but he held up a hand in a halting motion. “And that’s all! Dinner. I’m not going to conscript you for my imaginary pleasure harem, compel you to marry me, force you to bear my children or make you clean my apartment…nothing unseemly.” He stood a little taller, his head held high. “After all, I am an officer and a gentleman.”  
  
He lips twitched in amusement. “Okay, dinner it is.”  
  
“Good.” He picked up two long stem glasses and brought them over to the couch placing them on a glass top side table before opening the wine and pouring the drinks. He set the bottle down and handed Mara one glass and him the other. “We should toast to something.”  
  
“Sure.” Mara raised her glass. “To not being thrown in an Imperial brig.”  
  
Luke smiled warmly. “That is always an upside. How about toasting to friends.”  
  
“Why not.” She raised her glass higher. “To friends.” She sniffed the wine’s bouquet before sipping. “This is good.”  
  
“Thank you.” Luke risked settling down in the seat next to her. “Have you considered going legit? I can use regular shipments from a supplier. As you can imagine, getting some of the finer things in life are more difficult when dealing with Imperial supply chains. It will be regular work, less hassle from Imperial custom checks and good money.”  
  
Mara chewed her bottom lip in thought. “It will be up to Karrde. I’ll talk to him about it. Will we still be independent traders or have to fly under the Imperial flag?”  
  
“Whatever way you want. The Imperial trade league has priority in shipping lanes and berthing in spaceports. They can utilize Imperial facilities such as hospitals for free. They are eligible to shop in military commissaries if they are delivering to military bases.” He paused for a moment before adding. “Did I mention dental insurance?”  
  
She gave an unladylike snort. “You are really piling it on.”  
  
“I can use good people who I can trust.”  
  
“And you trust the people who kidnapped you and sold you off for a bounty.”  
  
“Captain Karrde seems like a man who doesn’t forget when a person does a favor for him. And you, you were a loyal Imperial once. I suspect you wouldn’t mind coming back to the Empire in one way or another. This could be a way to bring together your desire for freedom and your patriotism for your former government.”  
  
“I said I would tell Karrde. I’m not in a position to make that decision.”  
  
Luke nodded. “Fair enough.” He gave her a sideway glance. “I really wish you would reconsider working as my bodyguard. My father said you were one of Palpatine’s best operatives…as deadly as you are beautiful.”  
  
She let out a scathing laugh. “Darth Vader said no such thing.”  
  
Luke blushed slightly. “He didn’t say it that eloquently, but it was the general gist.”  
  
She put her glass down on the side table and looked at Skywalker questioningly. “Exactly what were his words?”  
  
Luke shrugged as he cleared his throat. “He told me the position of the Emperor’s Hand was given to the strongest Force adept and one that was the most alluring. The job of a spy and assassin is best performed by somebody who doesn’t look dangerous. It puts a person off guard. Men were often the targets of assassination and therefore a stunningly beautiful woman could often get close to the target with ease.” He took another sip of his drink. “He warned me that having you close could mean my downfall if you decided to turn on me.”  
  
“Then why did he allow me to live?”  
  
“He wouldn’t tell me exactly. He said he meditated on the subject and determined you might be useful in the future.”  
  
Mara shuttered not like the sound of that. “That is always scary when a Sith Lord thinks you might be of some use to them in the future.”  
  
“It can’t be too scary. You worked for Palpatine for a long time. I am fairly certain he didn’t have your welfare in mind during your employment with him.”  
  
Mara wanted to argue the fact, but realized he was right. Palpatine only valued her because she did his bidding. As soon as she failed him the punishment was swift and cruel.  
  
“In his meditations, he might have saw something totally benign. He once told me I desperately am in need of a…handler. Somebody who will keep me from making stupid rimworld blunders. Maybe that is what he thought you would be useful for.”  
  
“I think that might be beyond my abilities…or anybody’s abilities.” Mara thought about it. “It would help if we could make you look more natural in that uniform. You don’t look like a Supreme Commander as much as some bucolic farmboy dressing up as an imperial for a costume party. Also, you need to lose that thick rimworld accent.”  
  
“Is that all?” Luke looked hurt.  
  
She chuckled. “For now.”  
  
“You have a Coruscanti accent,” Luke ventured. “Were you born on Coruscant?”  
  
Mara gave a ‘who knows’ hand gesture. “I don’t remember my parents. I was raised in the royal court to be Palpatine’s servant. He was the closest thing I had to a father. I wouldn’t say it was a close relationship, but he could pop into my head at any instance, no matter where I was in the galaxy. It was sort of a creepily intimate connection. The communication back and forth was fine, but he could also sense my emotions and often read my thoughts…or at least my intentions, but to me, he was a wall. I only picked up from him what he wanted me to know. His mental shields were impenetrable.”  
  
“Oh,” Luke looked down at his glass. “I hope you didn’t see my…umm…my Force communication with you as intrusive.”  
  
“No, it just surprised me.” She turned to him; her expression was slightly troubled. “Your father believes our ability to communicate is due to a Force bonding.”  
  
“Do you feel…bonded to me?”  
  
She met his steady gaze, then quickly glanced away. “I don’t know what I feel.”  
  
Luke frowned when door indicator buzzed, interrupting their conversation. “That’s probably dinner.” He stood and moved to the front entrance and let a member of the dining hall staff wearing a light grey chef uniform entered pushing a serving cart. Luke pointed over to his dining table. “Over there please.”  
  
The young man pushed the cart up to the table and placed the various plates of food on the table. He then quickly left without saying a word. Luke gestured to the table. “Dinner is served.”  
  
Mara gave Luke a long hard look before convincing herself the Tatooine farm boy was harmless and she might as well have a nice meal. “Just a meal and then we get to leave right?”  
  
“Of course,” Luke assured her.  
  
“And don’t make it a habit of detaining me and the crew!”  
  
Luke gave his best innocent look. “I would never.”  
  
Mara wasn’t sure if she believed him. He was persistent.  
.  
.  
.  
Mara hated to admit, but she truly enjoyed Skywalker’s company. The food was good, he was courteous and didn’t nag her to work for him. Afterwards he walked her back to her ship. When she arrived, she was immediately wary about the conspicuous absence of her crew. She turned to Skywalker. “Where are they? Where’s the _Wild Karrde_ crew?”  
  
“I don’t know.”  
  
Skywalker sounded sincere, but she still didn’t trust him fully. She pulled out her commlink and attempted to communicate with her boss. After a few minutes Karrde’s voice could be heard. “Yeah?”  
  
“Talon? Where are you?”  
  
“I’m in the Officer’s Club.” She could barely hear him over the cacophony of voices in the background.  
  
“Are you okay?”  
  
“I’m more than okay,” Talon said with a slight slur of his voice. “I am _outstanding_.” Mara heard a female voice calling out to her boss. “Don’t worry. We’re alright…all of us.” There was a pause as he said something to somebody in the background. “And Mara…don’t wait up for us. Have fun with your Imperial…see if you can find out what’s makes him so supreme.” Karrde laughed in a way she had never heard before. “What? Wait Mara, Chin is saying something. Oh…Chin asked if it’s the size of his lightsaber…you know…that makes him supreme.”  
  
“You are drunk,” Mara said in disbelief.  
  
“Oh, got to go. It turns out Imperial women really find civilian men with long hair and beards sexy.”  
  
With that Karrde disconnected the communication. Mara stared down at her commlink in shock. She had seen Karrde drunk before, but never in a public setting and she had never seen him pick up women in bars.  
  
“See, he’s alright,” Luke said brightly. “If you like I can get my men to round up your crew and bring them back.”  
  
She shook her head. “No, it sounds like Karrde is having fun…and that is a rarity.”  
  
“Do you want some company while they are out partying?” His blue eyes filled with mirth. “I know you handled my lightsaber before, but if you want a second look, I’m game.”  
  
“Oh, for the love of…no Skywalker, your lightsaber holds no interest to me.”  
  
“Ouch…you are brutally honest.” He rocked back on his heels as he gave her a toothy grin. “How about a drink while we wait for your crew to return?”  
  
She sighed in frustration but gave a nod of her head. “Sure, why not.”


	11. Chapter 11

**_~One month later~_**  
  
Mara Jade barged into Talon Karrde’s office onboard the _Wild Karrde_. “You joined the Imperial Trade League?” Mara gazed at Karrde in shock. “Why?”  
  
Talon had been going over ship manifests on his datapad when his second-in-command had interrupted his work. He lowered the device and looked at her perplexed. “Why not? The money is better than smuggling and we got exclusive high-end product shipping rights to the various fleet’s flagships.”  
  
She looked at him knowingly. “And you may get a chance to see your Imperial girlfriend…the one you met at the _Redeemer's_ Officer's Club. What’s her name again…Karla?”  
  
“Karrina,” Talon corrected her.  
  
“Karrina, a woman who happens to be stationed onboard the same Star Destroyer Skywalker frequents.”  
  
Karrde smirked. “So? I thought you got along well with our exalted Supreme Commander.”  
  
“I do, but that doesn’t mean I want to see him on a regular basis.”  
  
Karrde put his arms out, palms up, in an apologetic gesture. “I guess we shouldn’t have kidnapped the second most powerful man in the galaxy and got into this strange position in the first place.” He ran a hand over his bearded face. “Or should I say Skywalker is the one that got you in a strange position.” There was a look of devilment in his eyes. “Did you ever find that subcutaneous tracking device we suspect he is carrying?”  
  
She rolled her eyes and groaned. “You know there is nothing between me and Skywalker.”  
  
He chuckled. “I know. I must say, he is a very patient man. It’s been…what…four months that he’s been trying to woo you?”  
  
“Knock it off, Talon.”  
  
“Come on, give me a hint as to how close he’s getting to his objective. Has he gotten a kiss?”  
  
Her face pinched together in irritation. “Watch it!”  
  
“Hand holding?”  
  
She glared at her boss as she leaned against the wall. “You know…after I finally admitted to you that I was Emperor Palpatine’s personal assassin you would think it would give you some pause before antagonizing me.”  
  
“Oh, it does,” Karrde struck a smug smile. “I paused, thought about the repercussions, and decided it was worth the risk.” He returned his attention to his datapad. “Now if you don’t mind, I need to go over these Imperial procurement requests. I think we can purchase most of the items on Hapes.”  
  
“What do the Imperials want?”  
  
He looked over the list. “High end wine and whiskey, fresh fruit and ten thousand units of male repress meds.”  
  
“Ten thousand units of birth control? How much sex is going on that ship?”  
  
“Not much I assume,” Karrde said drolly. “That was a private order from Skywalker.” He winked at her. “I guess he has big plans for your reunion.”  
  
Mara pushed away from the wall. “You are so dead.” As she moved around his desk Karrde jumped out of his seat and ran off in the opposite direction before making his escape out the office door. Mara poked her head outside his office and yelled, “You have to sleep sometime, Karrde. I’ll get my revenge eventually. Skywalker isn’t the only patient person in this galaxy.”  
.  
.  
.  
  
 **~Hapes~**  
  
Mara walked down the ship’s boarding ramp and observed the bustling spaceport. She was always pleasantly surprised at the cleanliness of Hapan public facilities…but she supposed that shouldn’t be shocking knowing how much image means to the Hapan people. They value beauty over everything, and the result was a population of near-humans that were exceptionally attractive. Hapan citizens unfortunate enough to be born homely left the planet as soon as they were able since they were often deemed unemployable and finding a mate was an even more daunting task. She turned to her boss as he walked down the ramp to join her. “Do you want to bring the speeder transport or just have everything delivered to the ship?”  
  
Karrde took in a deep breath of highly filtered air before addressing his second-in-command. “Delivered. We can leave Chin on board to show the delivery people where to stack the wares.”  
  
“I guess I will call for a ride to the shopping warehouses. We can…” Mara’s words were cut off by a huge explosion at the other end of the massive docking bay. As dust and ash billowed through the building Mara and her boss ducked back into their ship and secured the doors. She looked at Talon. “I’ll contact port authority to find out what’s going on.”  
  
Mara ran up to the flight deck where Aves and Chin were already in contact with the docking bay supervisor. “What happened?” Mara asked.  
  
Aves turned around where he was sitting in the communications area. “There was an explosion that took out an Imperial Gozanti-Class Cruiser docked at the far end of the building. Everybody is in lockdown for now. Terrorism is suspected.”  
  
Karrde entered the flight deck. “Damn rebels. They can’t leave well enough alone.” He looked at his crew members. “After our first Imperial cargo run, we are probably going to be a target for rebels. I want operational security tight. Make sure no one gets near the ship when in port without proper authorization.”  
  
“Maybe we’re better off staying smugglers,” Mara muttered. “At least all we have to worry about is custom Patrols.”  
  
Talon blew out a breath as he walked down the ship corridor to the galley with Mara following close behind. “Let’s not get jumpy. The Rebel Alliance has to be on its last leg.”  
  
“We wouldn’t have a problem if Skywalker dealt with the rebellion like a real Imperial,” Mara groused.  
  
Karrde’s brow rose. “You mean kill them instead of exile?”  
  
“Yes, that is exactly what I mean or at least put them in prison. They are rebels…they are not going to remain in exile.”  
  
Karrde threw his hands up. “They were his friends and comrades. You can see why he couldn’t do what you are suggesting…not unless he went dark like the Emperor.”  
  
“If they keep blowing up things, he'll eventually have to deal with the rebels with deadly force.”  
  
“Is that what you would do?” Karrde asked. “If we found ourselves on the other side of a conflict…would you kill me, Aves or Chin?”  
  
She gave him a hard stare but eventually she averted her eyes. “Probably not.”  
  
“Probably not?” Karrde said with a ting of amusement. “That really makes me feel comfortable when I am flying around the galaxy with the former Emperor’s top assassin. _‘I probably won’t kill you’_.” He snorted. “Very reassuring.”  
  
“Well, I haven’t killed you yet…despite your teasing…like asking me if I ever polished Skywalker’s lightsaber.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “Okay, I definitely, positively wouldn’t kill you…unless you were trying to kill me. And mark my words, there will be a time when Skywalker becomes a target of assassination and then…then he will have a change of heart.”  
  
“Maybe.” He gestured toward the ship’s caf maker. “Want to get a drink until the lockdown ends?”  
  
“Sure.” She went to the kitchen counter and poured a couple cups of caf and sat down at the table. When Karrde slide in the seat across from her she handed the second cup over to him. “So, tell me about your Imperial girlfriend. I didn’t see you return the night you and the crew went to the Officer’s Club. Can I assume you did the walk of shame down a Star Destroyer corridor?”  
  
Karrde blushed slightly. “Her name is Lieutenant Karrina Shotts. She is eight years younger than me…and very beautiful. She is a Medical Service Corps Officer…specializing in pharmaceuticals.”  
  
Mara laughed. “You have so much in common…we sometimes smuggle pharmaceuticals.”  
  
“Joke all you want, but I’ll have you know, she likes my rugged, bad boy looks.” He ran a hand over his facial hair that Mara noticed was now carefully trimmed. “She especially likes the beard…among other things.”  
  
Mara rolled her eyes unaccustomed to hearing Karrde brag about himself. “I’m happy that you found someone…I just wish she wasn’t stationed on the same ship that Skywalker is usually traveling on.”  
  
Karrde sat back in his chair and regarded her thoughtfully. “You know, you two seem like a good match. Both of you are Force adepts, you are a former Imperial and he is an Imperial. You worked for a Sith, he works for a Sith…hell, he’s not a bad looking guy and he didn’t have us executed us for treason when he could have easily. He’s a hell of a lot more forgiving than I would be if I was the one kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder. You can’t do much better than dating the Supreme Commander of the universe.” He grinned when Mara blushed. “I guess you can hold out for a celestial, but I was told those are few and far between.”  
  
“Shut up, Karrde.”  
  
“Admit it you like him.”  
  
“Sure I like him. He is a nice enough guy, but he has way too much baggage. He is hated by half the Imperials, or at least that is how he tells it, and he is hated by all the rebels. I don’t think I want to get involved with somebody that everybody in the galaxy knows and most hate. You might as well paint a target on my back.”  
  
“True, but if anybody could survive having a target on her back, it’s you. Could that be one of the reasons he’s so interested. He perhaps doesn’t want to put normal women…you know, those who are not Force strong assassins…into harm’s way. He has to be lonely…especially if what you say is true. He has no friends…just the Emperor. Can you imagine what that feels like?”  
  
“Yes,” she said slowly. “I know exactly what that feels like. I used to be just like him with only Emperor Palpatine as an ally.”  
  
“But now you have friends. Would you go back to having nobody but a Sith Lord as a friend?”  
  
“Palpatine was my Master. He was never a friend.”  
  
“Still,” Talon continued. “Would you ever want to go back to that existence…the loneliness?”  
  
She didn’t want to admit that Karrde was right, but he was. “No.”  
  
“Think about that the next time you see him.”  
  
She gave an unenthusiastic grunt as an acknowledgment. “So, are you going to see Karrina again?”  
  
A huge smile spread across his face. “I hope so. I really hope so.”  
  
He rose and walked over to the holonet projector and flicked it on. “Let’s see if there is any news about the bombing.” There was a slight delay before an image of the Emperor’s Media Briefing room appeared over a scrolling banner that said, ‘ _Breaking news from the office of the Emperor.’_ “That’s quick,” Talon muttered. “The bomb just went off. How does the Emperor already have a response?”  
  
“I don’t think this has anything to do with the bombing,” Mara said as she stared at the image. “This isn’t local Hapan news and with the briefing room as crowded as it is this had to be planned much earlier today.”  
  
The projected image showed a podium with the Imperial seal embossed on the front and located on a small stage at the front of the room. Emperor Vader’s public relations representative, a middle-aged human female with dark skin and wiry black hair, walked to a podium facing a crowd of reporters. She cleared her throat before addressing the various journalists. _“I want to thank all the members of the various news media outlets for attending today’s briefing. There will be no questions after my announcement. All inquiries are to be sent via electronic messaging to the Emperor’s office. Lord Vader will personally respond to any questions.”_  
  
There was a soft moan of disappointment and Mara had a chuckle. It seemed that no media correspondent wanted to ask Lord Vader a question directly.  
  
 _“This briefing today is straight from the Emperor’s desk. As of today, Emperor Vader is officially declaring Supreme Commander Luke Skywalker as his anointed successor and heir apparent.”_ The room remained quiet. Mara assumed the reporters were wondering why call a press conference to tell them the obvious. “ _The Emperor would also like to announce the reason he chose the Supreme Commander as his successor. Luke Skywalker is the birth son of Lord Vader, born of his blood and conceived within marriage. That is the end of the briefing, thank you.”_ That announcement put the reporters in an uproar as they screamed out questions despite the warning that the PR representative wouldn’t respond to any queries.  
  
“What the hell?” Talon said as he turned to Mara, his face slack with surprise. “Did you know about this?”  
  
“Yes,” she said softly.  
  
“Oh,” Talon blew out a breath before flicking off the projector and returning to his seat. “Is this why you’ve been avoiding Skywalker?”  
  
She shook her head. “No, that doesn’t matter to me.”  
  
“How can it possibly not matter?” Worry darkened his expression. “He’s a Force adept and son of a Sith. He could end up like his father.”  
  
She sighed deeply. “He’s nothing like his father…otherwise we’d have been dead long ago.”  
  
“Still…you were right, he has too much baggage and this is just another thing added to the list. Your decision to avoid him is probably the right one.”  
  
She let out a scathing laugh. “First you try to play matchmaker and now you are acting like an overly protective father.”  
  
“I have reason to be protective.”  
  
She gave him a withering glare. “No, you don’t. Skywalker is the same man that you were praising for his patience and forgiveness just minutes ago.” She shook her head sadly. “Luke was worried that this would happen…that people would run from him once they knew his relationship to Darth Vader. Kriff!” She drummed her fingers on the galley table as she thought about the situation. “After we deliver our cargo, I would like to see Skywalker. He has been very good to us; we should be there for him.” She gazed at Karrde. “What do you think?”  
  
Karrde paused for a long moment before answering. “I think you’re right.” He sighed deeply as he ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Sorry about my reaction. It just caught me off guard.”  
  
“That’s okay. I was a little taken aback when I first heard the news.”  
  
“Understandable and you are right…Skywalker has been very good to us…you should date him.”  
  
“What? I didn’t say that?”  
  
He tried to contain his smile. “You have to be the only woman in the galaxy that doesn’t care that Darth Vader is his father…face it, you two are meant for each other.”  
  
“Karrde, stop joking.”  
  
“Come on!” Karrde said with a laugh. “Do you want ten thousand units of male repress meds to go to waste?”  
  
She picked up her steaming cup of caf. “Stop talking or you're going to be wearing my drink.”  
  
“Fine.” He clicked his tongue in mock exasperation. “There is no pleasing you. First, I say date him and you get mad, then I say don’t date him and you get irritated and then when I change my mind…” He quickly rose to his feet when he saw Mara motion her cup at him in a threatening manner. "Okay, okay, I’m knocking it off.” He walked up to the flight deck of the ship while calling out to his crew. “Aves, Chin, see how much longer we’ll be locked down. We got cargo to buy and repress meds to deliver.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Star Destroyer _Redeemer_**  
  
Mara was somewhat surprised when she didn’t find Skywalker waiting for her at the docking bay. She could sense he was aboard the ship brooding. Obviously, the disclosure of his paternity was still causing him some angst.  
  
She strolled down the loading ramp to locate the docking master and was intercepted by a handsome human male in an Imperial officer’s dark grey naval uniform and wearing the rank of Commodore. The man was probably in his late thirties or early forties, with a few streaks of gray in his dark brown hair giving him a distinguished look. He stopped in front of Mara and smiled warmly. “Miss Jade, I assume.” He extended his hand out in greeting.  
  
She looked him up and down warily before grasping his hand and shaking it. “I am. You must be Commodore…” she reached back in her memory and came up with the proper response. “Vanto, isn’t it?”  
  
He gave a nod. “Yes, I am sorry that we haven’t met earlier. Supreme Commander Skywalker talks about you fondly.”  
  
“He’s talked about you also,” she said as she released her grip and brought her hand to her side.  
  
The man’s smile widened. “All good, I hope.”  
  
“Yes, in fact it was.” She regarded him quizzically. “Does he intend on joining us.”  
  
“Ah,” he looked down at the deck and then back to her. “The recent press release has upset him greatly…he has remained in his quarters for the last few days. He's asked me to escort you to his quarters…if you would be so inclined to accept his invitation.”  
  
“Yes, of course.”  
  
Relief colored his expression. “Thank you.” He motioned to a corridor across the bay. “If you would be so kind to follow me.”  
  
“Lead the way.” Mara fell in step next to Commodore Vanto. “I thought Emperor Vader’s press release might cause him some problems, but I didn’t think it would make him a recluse.”  
  
He gave her a sideways glance. “That is not what he’s upset about, it was response from the Rebel Alliance.”  
  
“What response? You have to excuse me, but we’ve been in hyperspace for the last four days and we don’t have a hyperwave radio.”  
  
“Oh,” Commodore Vanto said softly. “If you like, I can have one installed on your ship…at no cost to you.”  
  
She realized he was stalling. “What was the Rebel’s response?”  
  
He took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, at the same time he slightly increased his pace in order to get them to Skywalker’s quarters quicker. “I think the Supreme Commander would like to tell you personally.”  
  
She sighed. “That bad, huh?”  
  
“It has…upset the Supreme Commander in more ways than one.”  
  
“Okay, I’ll ask him myself.” They continued down the corridor until they stood in front of the lavish double doors of Skywalker’s quarters.  
  
Commodore Vanto turned to Mara and smiled. “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”  
  
“Same here.” She went to knock on Skywalker’s door but stopped and turned to Vanto. “Were you kidding about the hyperwave transmitter?”  
  
“Not at all. I will have my men install one today.”  
  
“Thank you.” She knocked on the door as Commodore Vanto quickly turned and walked down the corridor. She waited for a moment and then knocked again.  
  
Eventually Skywalker opened the door and Mara was taken aback by his appearance. He wasn’t in his usual dress uniform but sleep pants and wrinkled undershirt. There were dark bags under his eyes and his hair was sticking up in various directions. He managed a small, sad smile as he motioned for her to enter.  
  
“Commodore Vanto said you were upset over the Rebel’s response to your parentage. What happened?”  
  
He sighed deeply before padding over barefoot to the holonet projector. “It is easier to show you.” He pushed a few buttons and played something he obviously recorded from an earlier date. “This is what happened.”  
  
Mara watched as the image of the former Princess of Alderaan appeared above the projection base. Underneath scrolled the words: **_Former Princess talks to reporters from place of exile._**  
  
The princess looked straight at the camera and started her speech without preamble. _“I just hope all the citizens of the Empire realize how they have been deceived over the years, but you are not alone, Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker deceived us all. It is now obvious that Skywalker was an Imperial infiltrator from the start. He wormed his way into the rebellion and acted as a spy the entire time. In hindsight, it is so very clear. He is able to walk onto a supposedly impregnable battle station, rescue me, and escape easily. Dozens and dozens of stromtroopers were firing upon us and not one blasterbolt hit its mark. Imperial Stormtroopers are known for their deadly accuracy, but the day of our escape not one shot came close to hitting us. It was all preplanned. His job was to rescue me so I could lead him to the rebel outpost._  
  
 _"I know many of you may ask yourselves, ‘If he is an imperial, then why did he blow up the Death Star?’ I’ll tell you why. Darth Vader allowed his son to destroy the battle station to not only fortify Skywalker's position in the rebellion, allowing for his promotion and access to intelligence information, but it eliminated many of Lord Vader’s rivals---Grand Moff Tarkin, General Trech Molock, General Moradmin Bast. Chief of the Imperial Navy Admiral Conan Antonio Motti, Chief of the Imperial Army General Cassio Tagge, and Chief Major Siward Cass._  
  
 _"This is the only obvious explanation for Luke Skywalker’s ability to fly in and out of a combat situation without a scratch while most of his flight wing was decimated. Meanwhile, your current Emperor, Darth Vader, was safely off the Death Star and far enough away from the scene that he didn't get destroyed in the explosion. Darth Vader sacrificed over a million loyal Imperial citizens in order to eliminate political rivals and secure his son in a position of power among the Rebellion. Once Skywalker had enough information on the rebels he returned to his father and together they murdered Emperor Palpatine. Is this who you want leading your Empire? Rise up and join us in dethroning a brutal dictator!”_  
  
Luke clicked off the holonet and turned to Mara. “I can’t believe Leia thought I was a traitor from the start.”  
  
His words irritated Mara to no end. “You’re worried that your old crush now hates you? Is that what is disturbing your sleep? What the kriff is wrong with you? You need to worry about what your _people_ think about you! You are lined up to be Emperor eventually and you can’t do that if Imperials think you and Vader are capable of such deception and cruelty to your own people.” She pointed to the projector. “And how in the hell did that message get through Imperial holonet censors? I know Palpatine and Vader were experts at controlling the narrative. How did this get onto the holonet?”  
  
Luke looked down and shook his head. “Somebody sliced into the system. It was taken down almost immediately, but not before trillions of Imperial citizens saw it.”  
  
“Your father better figure out where that signal is coming from or find a way to block the transmission in the future. You can’t have the rebels using propaganda to destabilize the government.”  
  
“I know. You’re right.” Luke slowly sat on his couch, his face a mask of pain. “I can’t believe the lies that my friends are telling the galaxy. I was never an Imperial plant. I joined the rebellion because I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to make this galaxy a better place to live in. I fought hard toward that goal. At first, I thought the rebellion was the only way, but my father showed me another path. And I've succeeded in making a difference. I've pushed through more government reforms than any previous leader. And I did it in only two years. Why can't Leia can’t see that? How can she think I would lie to her like that?”  
  
Mara rolled her eyes. “I know it is none of my business and I really don’t care, but you need to realize that you and the princess are **_no longer_** friends…not anymore! So, forget about her and concentrate on how you are going to respond to these allegations because it doesn’t bode well for the galaxy. Your father has been trying to do things your way…the nice way. But if there’s an uprising he will crack down on people…hard. You have to give a response to this.”  
  
His brow knitted. “Like what? If I deny it people won’t believe me.”  
  
“Use your own propaganda. The Jedi took you from your father. It was Leia that got you involved in the rebellion, not the other way around. You need to spin this in a way that the you are no longer the villain but the victim of the Jedi and the Rebel Alliance.”  
  
Luke threw up his hands. “I don’t know how to do that?”  
  
She sat down next to him. “It’s not that hard. Imperials want to remain loyal Imperials, just give them something slightly believable.”  
  
Luke dropped his head in his hands in frustration. “Mara, you were right when you said I was a naïve rimworld...bumpkin. I don’t have the head for politics, and I have never been good at lying.” He looked up her, his eyes pleading. “Please help me. I don’t want my father hunting down the rebels in exile and slaughtering them.”  
  
Mara blew out a frustrated breath. “There you go again…worrying about the rebels and not your constituents. Listen to me—the rebels are **_NOT_** your friends!”  
  
Luke ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. “It is difficult not to think of them as friends. They were my only friends since I left Tatooine. When I became an Imperial, I was at best…tolerated. You are the closest thing I have to a friend now…and even you don’t want to spend time with me.”  
  
Mara closed her eyes and for a moment contemplated leaving Skywalker to stew in his despair. It was obvious that his concern rested with the rebels and specifically Princess Leia…a woman who publicly denounced Luke as a traitor to the Empire and the Rebellion. The thought rolled around in her mind for a second or two before she remembered Talon’s words about how lonely Luke must be having only his father as a friend.  
  
“I will help you,” she said after much contemplation. “But you have to do what I say…and it will be difficult. Princess Leia is playing hardball and so must you. You can’t waiver.” She gazed at him, challenging him to make a firm decision. “Will you follow my advice and not quibble over my instructions? If you can, I will arrange with Talon to stay a few days.”  
  
Luke gazed at her warily. “Will I have to kill people?”  
  
She shook her head. “No, just piss them off.”  
  
He looked at the ceiling for a moment before returning his gaze to her. “Yes, I promise to do what you say. Just help me.”  
  
“Okay,” she stood and moved to the door. “I’m going back to my ship to talk to Talon and pack a bag. While I’m gone clean up. Take a shower and put on a starched uniform. You are the Supreme Commander…look the part!”


	13. Chapter 13

_**Star Destroyer Redeemer**_  
  
Mara returned a few hours later to find Skywalker in a nicely tailored Imperial uniform, his hair neatly combed and his mood a bit brighter.  
  
She walked into his quarters and circled around him appraisingly. “It looks like you took the advice I gave you last month and got a uniform that actually fits.”  
  
He looked down at his clothing and blushed slightly. “I was never a slave to fashion, but you were right. Now I just need to get rid of my rimworld accent and I’ll be set.”  
  
“This is a great start for improving your image.” She looked him up and down and smiled. “You really look great.”  
  
“A compliment from the former Emperor’s Hand.” he said with a grin while tugging his tunic straight. “That makes all the measuring the tailor did worth it. I swear he was a perfectionist. He measured my trouser inseam a half dozen times.”  
  
Mara laughed. “He was either a perfectionist or a pervert, either way, he’s definitely an excellent tailor.” She dropped her travel bag on the ground before gazing into his blue eyes and letting out a slow and controlled breath. “Before we begin…I want to apologize to you.”  
  
“For what?”  
  
“For getting so upset and yelling at you earlier today. The rebel’s response was just as upsetting to me as it was to you—probably for different reasons—but upsetting nonetheless.”  
  
He took a step closer to her and considered reaching out and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder but didn’t know if she would tolerate the gesture. “How so?”  
  
“I didn’t realize how good life has gotten in the Empire until now. The thought of things falling apart was a shock to the system. If there is an uprising, your father could end your reforms. And even though I hate to admit it…you have made this galaxy a better place…for everybody. You’re a great leader.” She shook her head sadly. “I’d hate to think what would have happened if I killed you when I had the chance.”  
  
Luke was startled by not only her admission, but the underlying remorse and honesty he felt flowing through the Force. This time he did reach out and pulled her into his embrace, smiling when she didn’t resist. “Hey, don’t worry. With your help we’ll tackle this problem.”  
  
She allowed him to hold her for a few more seconds before she pulled away awkwardly, looking embarrassed that she revealed her softer side.  
  
“Yeah…we need to repair the damage the rebels inflicted on your image. “She motioned to the couch. “Let’s sit down and work on your response.”  
  
“Of course.” He said, disappointed that the tender moment ended so quickly. He followed her to the couch and sat down next to her.  
  
“There are five basic rules of propaganda,” Mara instructed Luke. “Keep it simple, discredit the opposition, manipulate the values of your target audience to your own ends, present your argument as if all sane people should think the same way and then repeat the message over and over in a multitude of variations.”  
  
“Okay,” Luke said slowly. “That is easy enough…I think. So, what do you suggest?”  
  
“You told me how you were hidden from your father on Tatooine and how you were swept up in the rebellion. Start there.” When Luke stared at her blankly, she rolled her eyes and came up with a possible counter argument.  
  
“You can say, _‘The Jedi kidnapped me as a baby and gave me to a family with anti-imperial leanings. They were moisture farmers on the rimworld planet of Tatooine. My foster family knew who my father was but hid my parentage at the request of the Jedi.”_  
  
“Wait,” Luke interrupted. “You're saying Jedi…like the order still exists.”  
  
“The Jedi might be gone, but we need an enemy for the Imperial population to latch onto,” Mara said. “They already hate the Jedi for attempting a coup to overthrow Chancellor Palpatine based solely on his religious beliefs.”  
  
“Religious beliefs?” Luke said incredulously. “You mean him being a Sith?”  
  
“Yes, a Sith. Look up the term on the holonet. It is an ancient religious order of Force-wielders.”  
  
“Yes, Force-users devoted to the dark side.”  
  
“That didn’t give the Jedi cause to attack Palpatine. There is no law against being a Sith. If Palpatine did something wrong, they should have brought up their grievances to the Senate. They could have impeached and removed him from office. The Republic had a system in place to remove tyrants. The Jedi thought they were above all that and tried to murder the man based solely on his religion.”  
  
Luke shook his head wide-eyed. “I can’t believe what you're saying.”  
  
She scowled melodramatically. “You disagree?”  
  
“It’s not that,” Luke said with a chuckle. “You sound just like my father.”  
  
“Well,” her mouth ease into a grin. “You father and I did serve the same Master.”  
  
“That is true." Luke gestured toward her. "Please continue.”  
  
“Didn’t you once tell me that you applied for the Imperial Naval Academy?”  
  
Luke shook his head. “No, I wanted to, but my Uncle kept telling me I needed to wait another season. I was their free labor, so if I departed, they would be hurting.”  
  
“Okay, you can say. ‘ _I dreamed of going to the Imperial Naval Academy, but I was always told no…because the Jedi didn’t want my father finding me. A Jedi Knight, who was also a rebel sympathizer, secretly watched over me…preventing me from leaving Tatooine. Unfortunately, Princess Leia involved my foster family in espionage and they paid the ultimate price when they were inadvertently killed during a law enforcement raid.”_  
  
“Inadvertently?” Luke protested. “Mara, they were killed by Oppressor flamethrowers wielded by 501st Storm Commandos. My father sent those men…not Leia.”  
  
“Luke,” she said slowly gazing at him with tired eyes. “Was anything the Princess said about you true?”  
  
“No.”  
  
“Then stop worrying about the veracity of our story.”  
  
Luke let out a frustrated groan. Mara had told him he was going to piss off people…and he can see that was an understatement. “Go on.”  
  
“Then you tell the people what happened next. Say, ‘ _The very Jedi Knight that kidnapped me from my father, and essentially imprisoned me on that harsh rimworld planet, talked me into joining the rebellion and encouraged me to kill the man I later discovered was my father.”_  
  
Mara gazed at Luke looking for approval or at least some response, but he remained silent with a miserable look on his face.  
  
Mara heaved a sigh before continued. “Then you firmly state, ‘ _I am not the bad guy in this story. I am the victim that was used and lied to and tricked into fighting for a cause whose goal was the destruction of my family. My father and I did not know the truth until after the destruction of the Death Star. Yes, I am guilty of killing Imperials, but I was told the Death Star destroyed Alderaan.’_ ”  
  
“Wait,” Luke interrupted. “The Death Star did destroy Alderaan…my father forced Leia to watch it’s destruction.”  
  
“Luke, haven’t you read your own Imperial propaganda? Alderaan was destroyed by one of their own superweapons.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Your father and Princess Leia are the only two survivors who witnessed Alderaan’s destruction. Imperial citizens don’t want to believe their tax dollars went toward a space station that destroyed an entire planet…that’s why they believe Imperial propaganda saying Alderaan was to blame.”  
  
Mara took a deep breath before continuing. “We are going to say the Rebels convinced you that Alderaan was destroyed by the Empire and that is why you fought with the rebels. Later you realized you were deceived. The Death Star was sent to Alderaan in an effort to coerce them into giving up their aggressive biological warfare program. When the Death Star arrived, the planetary government attempted to destroy the battle station with their own planet busting weapon, but it was untested, and it ended up destroying the planet instead.”  
  
Luke scoffed. “Nobody is going to believe that.”  
  
“Sure, they will,” Mara insisted. “People believe what they want to believe. Loyal imperials want to remain loyal and they will latch onto to any conspiracy theory that will justify their beliefs.”  
  
“Imperials will still be pissed that I killed a million troopers.”  
  
“Yes, but they’ve known that for years. What you need to do is own up to your actions, state you were duped by the rebels and apologize. You then earmark billions of credits to help the families of those who died on the Death Star. It can be in the form of college tuition or funds to attend tech schools for surviving children or spouses.”  
  
“We should do that anyway. That is a good gesture that might improve my image,” Luke said after some thought. “You are probably right, but I hate lying about the Jedi and the rebels. Leia watched her planet get destroyed and with it everybody she knew and loved. This is blaming the victim. She will never forgive me.”  
  
“Oh, for Sith sake,” Mara said softly, her voice bristling with frustration, tired of his ability to object to her every suggestion. “You need to stop worrying about what the woman thinks.” Mara rose and started walking toward the exit. “I need a break. I think we both need a break. You need to decide what you are willing to do to save this galaxy …save it from the Rebels and your father’s wrath if an uprising does occur.”  
  
“Sorry, Mara. Please don’t leave.” Luke rose off the couch and ran to the door, blocking the exit. “Please, you have to realize, this isn’t easy for me.”  
  
“It's not easy for anybody. Skywalker…this is war. The Empire and the Rebels are at war.” Mara poked her finger into his chest for emphasis. “And whether you like it or not, you and Princess Leia are on different sides of this conflict. She’s not letting any warm feelings for you to stay her hand. She denounced you as a traitor to the Empire and the Rebels. You need to stop worrying about her and her feelings.”  
  
Luke gazed at Mara for a very long time, his expression unreadable. “You really don’t like her…why?”  
  
She gritted her teeth, hating the fact that he is able to read her so easily. “It is just a bit irritating seeing you pining over a woman who is determined to destroy you. You worry about what she’s thinking or feeling, but she doesn’t reciprocate the same concern for you. Face it, she is just not that into you.”  
  
His expression went from perplexed to incredulous. “Are you jealous of her?”  
  
He immediately regretted the question as he felt anger radiating off the former assassin. He took a step back, putting his hands up defensively. “Sorry I asked…I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part. I like you, Mara. I wish…”  
  
“You wish what?” she said through gritted teeth.  
  
“I wish we could have a relationship. Or at least try. I have such a great time with you. When we're separated, all I do is think about you…and miss you. Leia was my friend. We fought side-by-side…but she’s just a friend.”  
  
She didn’t respond to his words but silently turned and returned to the couch. “Luke, you have to think of the galaxy…your people,” she said evenly, completely ignoring his heartfelt admission. “You have to risk infuriating your former friends. What you say and do now, despite how furious the rebels get, is for the good of the galaxy. If the rebel propaganda succeeds your father will squash any uprising with bloodthirsty glee. You’ve succeeded in tempering his homicidal tendencies, but I can tell he misses the days when he could crush his enemies. We don’t want to give him an excuse to go on a killing spree.”  
  
“You’re right. I know you’re right.” His shoulders sagged in defeat as he walked back to the couch and sat next to her. “It’s just…I just can’t win.”  
  
His words were steeped in emotion and she could feel him dropping into despair. Mara suppressed a sigh, realizing she was never good at comforting people. It was not a skill useful to an assassin. All she could do was improvise.  
  
“Luke,” she said as she pulled him into a reassuring, one-arm hug. “Don’t let this get to you. You are doing a great job. The Empire has never been this…” She took a deep breath as she tried to find the right word. “It’s never been this humane. Your Rebel friends are fighting when they should be supporting you and your changes.” She dropped her arm off his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. “I’ve talked to Karrde and he's okay with me staying here to help you for a while.”  
  
Luke nodded and smiled weakly. “I would like that.”  
  
“I’ll help you write up a response to the Rebels. We’ll practice it and get it recorded and put it out to the galaxy.”  
  
“Thank you. You’re a good friend.”  
  
“You’re welcome.” She put her hand on his knee and gave it a squeeze. “I know this is uncomfortable for you, but you’ll get through it.”  
  
Luke looked down at her hand then into her emerald eyes. He turned and leaned in toward her. Mara’s eyes went wide thinking he was about to kiss her, but instead he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and gave her a warm hug…a warm, friendly, platonic hug.  
  
Mara was confused that she was both relieved and inexplicably disappointed at the same time. “It’ll be alright, Luke,” she muttered. “It’ll be alright.”  
  
“Now that you’re here, it will be,” Luke said softly.


	14. Chapter 14

Obi-wan was furious. “You are actually making me into a child abducting villain? I saved you from your father!”  
  
Luke sighed when the Jedi spirit appeared. He had a long day and after hours of practicing, recording and then airing his response to the rebel’s accusations, he was tired of talking. He was getting ready for bed when the spirit showed up. “Go away,” he grumbled his voice still hoarse from hours of talking.  
  
“I will not go away. You have told the entire galaxy that I spirited you away from your father and imprisoned you on Tatooine.”  
  
“You did take me from my father and left me on Tatooine where I had no money or any real job prospects. I was trapped on that dunghole of a planet.”  
  
“I did not kidnap you. I thought your father perished on Mustafar and I watched your mother die after giving birth to you and…” The Jedi apparition paused midsentence. “And…ummm…and I feared Emperor Palpatine would go after you. I had to put you into hiding.”  
  
“So, you place me on my father’s home planet and allow me to have his surname. You give me to my grandmother’s stepson to raise. How is that hiding me?”  
  
“You father hated Tatooine. I thought there was little chance of him returning. I stayed nearby in case he did.”  
  
“You said you thought my father was dead…so your explanation of why I was placed on Tatooine is nonsense.”  
  
“I said I _thought_ he was dead…but I didn’t feel his death in the Force. So, there was always a chance that he lived.”  
  
“You know what I think…I think you placed me on my father’s home planet with his surname in the hopes that he would find me. I was bait. You wanted him to come to Tatooine so you could kill him.”  
  
“That’s utter hogwash.” The specter shook his head before sitting on Luke’s bed, pissing the Supreme Commander off even further.  
  
“Get off my bed. I don’t need to get blue ectoplasm all over my new sheets.”  
  
The apparition stood with a frown. “Your father never looked for you because he thought your mother was dead before giving birth. He strangled her himself…Force choked her.”  
  
“You told me that before, but my father’s interpretation of those events differs greatly.”  
  
“He’s lying.”  
  
“That is something you both do.” Luke slipped on his sleeping tunic and pulled back the blankets on his bed. “You’re dead. What do you care what I tell people?”  
  
“Because I was a member of the Jedi council and well respected.”  
  
“Until Palpatine told everybody that the Jedi tried to overthrow him. Admit it, your legacy is shot. It doesn’t matter what I say.”  
  
The spirit sighed deeply. “Luke your destiny is to rebuild the Jedi Order, but that will not be possible if you insist on vilifying the Jedi.  
  
“I will never rebuild the Jedi Order, so you don’t have to worry about that,” Luke said adamantly. “If I do train Force Adepts, they will be Imperial Knights—Force strong defenders of the new Empire.”  
  
“They will end up as darksiders.”  
  
Luke scoffed as he rolled over in bed. “If you believe I can train Jedi, then why do you think I can’t train light-side Imperial Knights? Your way is _not_ the only way.” He reached over and turned off his side table lamp. “I’m going to sleep now. Please go back to…wherever you go when you’re not bothering me.” Luke waited for a response, when none came, he rolled over and looked for his ghostly stalker, but Kenobi was gone.  
  
“And stay gone,” Luke grumbled. He rolled over and closed his eyes, willing himself to sleep, and trying to not worry about any consequences from his actions today.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
The next day he found himself nervous to see the reaction to his prerecorded news conference that aired the night before. His speech was first transmitted to his father on Coruscant. After getting his father’s approval, his Address to the Empire was broadcast across the holonet to all Imperial worlds. By now everybody would have had the chance to view his response to the Rebels’ accusations.  
  
He sighed deeply knowing Leia and Han would never forgive him. He had to come to grips with the fact that his closest friends now, most likely, despised him. Despite his misgivings, he knew Mara was right, it was something that needed to be done. If the citizens of the Empire did rise up against his father, the results would be catastrophic.  
  
He showered, thankful that his rank granted him the privilege a hot water instead of a less-that-soothing sonic shower. He stood under the torrent of hot recycled water for a good ten minutes, allowing the heat of the water to seep into his skin and loosen his tense muscles.  
  
He exited the shower and quickly dried off before moving to his closet and setting out his dress uniform. He smiled as he pulled on his trousers remembering how Mara admired his highly tailored look. She tried to hide it, but he sensed her attraction…and that in itself was frustrating.  
  
He was dejected that she kept him at arm’s length, but, knowing her background, he really couldn’t blame her. According to his father, Emperor Palpatine had forbade Mara from having any friends or romantic attachments. All she had was the Emperor and he was a harsh an unforgiving Master.  
  
 _‘He was a ruthless, manipulating egomaniac,’_ his father described Emperor Palpatine. ‘ _He controlled people by first isolating from their loved ones…then the intimidation, physical and emotional abuse came next. He convinces his victims that without him they are nobody.’_ Luke remembers a very long pause before he continued. _‘That is how he controlled the Emperor’s Hand.’_ He was talking about Mara Jade, but at the same time, Luke knew Palpatine did the same to his father. Mara and is father were bonded in a way…there were both survivors of Palpatine’s cruelty. Luke didn’t ask but wondered if that was the reason his father spared Mara after she admitted to kidnapping his son.  
  
After dressing, he walked out of his room and was surprised to see Mara in his kitchen setting out plates on his dining table as the aroma of eggs, sausage and hotcakes seeped out from under domed plate covers centered on the tabletop. She turned to him and smiled. “I ordered breakfast.”  
  
“Thank you.” He walked over and stood for an awkward second before clearing his throat. “I hope the guest bedroom was comfortable.”  
  
“It was luxurious.” She gazed at him, a mixture of interest and compassion filling her eyes. “How are you? I know how upset you were yesterday.”  
  
He heaved a sigh before his mouth flattened to a hard line. “The whole speech made me feel dirty. I know it was for the best, but I was outright lying about some things and I’ve always prided myself on being honest.”  
  
“I understand.”  
  
He shook his head. “No, I don’t think you do. No matter how inaccurate the rebels’ statements were about me…they believed they were telling the truth. I, on the other hand, said things that I knew were blatantly false.”  
  
“Luke, I understand. I’m not without a conscious or moral compass. You lied…but you lied to your people in order to avoid uprisings…to prevent needless deaths…because you know your father will not tolerate unrest.”  
  
Her words did not bring him any comfort. He abhorred dishonesty, no matter what the circumstances.  
  
“And your speech succeeded,” Mara said as she sat down and motioned for Luke to join her. “I’ve looked at the analytics from yesterday’s announcement and you received a very positive response.”  
  
Luke sat down and removed the plate covers revealing a mouthwatering assortment of breakfast food. “How so.”  
  
Mara threw a few flat cakes on her plate before explaining. “Your statement about being abducted by a Jedi garnered sympathy from female Imperials. The assertion that the last surviving Jedi had told you that Darth Vader killed your father and convinced you to avenge his death by killing Darth Vader had a compassionate response in both male and female Imperials. Everybody thought that was a cruel deception. All in all, you have a 33% positive increase in how Imperials think of you.”  
  
“Great,” he said scornfully. “Unfortunately, I have a 100% decrease in how I feel about myself.”  
  
“I know this is hard for you, but it’s for the best.” She poured syrup on her flat cakes and cut off a piece. Before putting the food in her mouth, she commented, “I guess my work here is done.”  
  
Luke pulled himself out of his self-loathing and locked eyes on her. “What do you mean?”  
  
She swallowed her bit of flat cake. “I mean you needed my help in formulating a response to the rebels’ remarks. I did and your speech was a success. You managed to ease the tension the rebels succeeded in building. People are feeling more positive about you and Emperor Vader. Things appear to be settling down. You don’t need me anymore.”  
  
Her words put him in a near panic. “No, I still need you. Leia is bound to respond to my comments. There is no way she won’t. I accused her people of blowing up their own planet when she absolutely knows that’s not true. I’ll need you to help me reply to her counter-argument.”  
  
She chewed on her food for a long moment before setting her fork down and leaning back in her chair. “If she manages to get in another propaganda video through your censors, I’ll return to help you.”  
  
He gazed at her, his eyes pleading. “Mara, you’ve shown me that I am completely naïve about the ways of the galaxy. I need somebody like you by my side…as an assistant, bodyguard or handler. You know the ins-and-outs of politics. Together we can make the Empire something it has never been before…a wonderful place to live and not a government that blows up your planet if you irritate the leadership.”  
  
She shook her head slowly before narrowing her gaze on his face. “Your father told me you weren’t skilled at deception, but you’re getting better at it. Your reasons for me to stay are almost believable…with the exception that you revealed the real truth last night…your desire for a relationship. You were forthright last night…so why are you making up excuses now?”  
  
He clenched his teeth together before answering. “Because I poured my heart out to you yesterday. I told you how much I enjoyed your company and missed you when we’re apart…and you completely ignored me. So obviously being forthright and honest doesn’t work.”  
  
She gave a curt nod. “Fair enough. I didn’t respond because I really don’t know what I want yet…and this is a much bigger decision for me than it is for you. You’re not going to give up being Supreme Commander to fly around the galaxy as part of the _Wild Karrde_ crew. No, it’s me that has to make all the changes. I have to give up my job and follow you around. Can’t you see that, for me, this is a far more difficult choice?”  
  
Luke poured himself a glass of green milk and took a long sip before answering. “Believe me…if I didn’t think all hell would break loose in the Empire…I would leave in a heartbeat to give us a chance.”  
  
She scoffed under her breath. “That is easy for you to say because you know the Empire will go to rack and ruin with you gone.” She waved him off. “Do we really have to make a decision about a relationship? Can’t you court me like a normal male and let things evolve naturally?”  
  
His brow rose as a broad smile crossed his face. “Are you saying you wouldn’t mind dating me?” He knew she could probably feel his happiness through the Force, but he didn’t try to hide it. “You wouldn’t mind me courting you?”  
  
She chuckled and shook her head in disbelief. “Gods Luke, you would think I agreed to marry you. Yes, I wouldn’t mind hanging out with you…on the occasions we are on the same planet or Star Destroyer.”  
  
“Well, we are currently on the same Star Destroyer. Do you want to go out tonight to the Officer’s Club?”  
  
She shrugged noncommittally. “I have to check with Karrde to see if he wants to stay another night…which he may because he found himself a lady friend onboard.”  
  
“Really?” Luke leaned back in his seat. “Who?”  
  
“Some pharmacist…Karrina I believe is her name.”  
  
“Lieutenant Shotts?”  
  
She looked at him in astonishment. With over thirty-five thousand crew members on board, she was surprised that he could recall the name of a particular service member. “Yes, I’m impressed that you know you crew members by name.”  
  
“I remember her because she made such a big deal out of my private requisition order for ten thousand units of male repress meds.” He gave Mara a wink and a grin. “I told her I had a big date.”  
  
She groaned. “You’ve talked to Karrde lately I see.”  
  
He chuckled as he put some eggs on his plate. “He contacted me last night about an hour before I went to bed. He wanted to know how things were going. We talked for a while.” He cut his eggs with the edge of his fork and took a bite, savoring the flavor of Gartro eggs yolk side up. “I’m really starting to like your employer. He’s a good man…for a kidnapper and extortionist.”  
  
“You just like him because he has a big mouth and is always encouraging me to date you.”  
  
“I did not know that…the dating part that is.” Luke’s smile widened. “That’s another reason to like the man.”  
  
“And he has a hundred thousand reasons to like you,” Mara pointed out.  
  
He raised one corner of his mouth. “As do you.” He looked down at his plate as he pushed his eggs around with a fork. “But you’re not the type of woman swayed by money and power.” He glanced up at her. “I like that in you. If I am going to win your heart it will have to be with my good looks and charming personality.”  
  
She laughed so hard she almost choked on her food. After a fierce coughing fit, she managed to regain her composure. “And don’t forget your rimworld, boyish naiveté. That’s your biggest selling point.”  
  
“And your caustic wit is yours,” he shot back.  
  
“Touché.” She said with a grin, liking this version of Luke much better than the somber individual he was fifteen minutes ago. “If Karrde is willing to stay another day, we can go out to the club tonight.”  
  
He gave her a devastating smile. “It’s a date then.”


	15. Chapter 15

Mara contacted Karrde and wasn’t surprised when he willingly agreed to spend another day onboard the _Redeemer._ The Club didn’t open until 1800 hours, so she had most of the day open to do whatever she wanted. She knew she should go back to the _Wild Karrde_ and go over the expense reports, but for some unfathomable reason she was reluctant to leave. Instead, Mara opted to spend the rest of the day with the Jedi watching the holonet news networks and gauging the response from the public. She was also curious if the Rebel Alliance would somehow manage to slice into the system to air a response to Luke’s speech.  
  
They were currently sitting together on his couch watching a highly censored Imperial political news program. Mara turned to Luke. “Can we get any unlicensed channels…you know…ones that non-Imperials would watch?”  
  
He shook his head. “Not in my quarters. We’d have to go down to the Intelligence Division. They scrub the holonet and the DeepHolo…private holonet servers. That is how Leia got her message through. Somebody took it from the DeepHolo and sliced into a holonet relay transceiver and substituted for a regularly scheduled show. Our holonet technicians have since closed up any breaches in our security.”  
  
“That’s good.” She paused for a long moment. “What did your father say about the speech.”  
  
Luke smirked before giving his best impersonation of the Dark Lord, “‘ _I see you have put the Emperor’s Hand to good use. She always excelled in propaganda’”_  
  
She humphed before looking at him suspiciously. “Is that all that he said?”  
  
He gave his best apathetic shrug. “He asked the normal stuff a father would…when am I going to come to visit…what have I been up to…and such.”  
  
She raised an eyebrow. “And such?”  
  
Luke closed his eyes and took a big breath before opening them and gazing into her brilliant green eyes. “He asked me how we were getting along.”  
  
She nodded. “And you said?”  
  
“I said we were getting along fine.”  
  
“Is that all?”  
  
He gave her a curious look. “Should I have told him something else?”  
  
She shook her head. “No, we get along fine. It’s just…it makes me nervous when a Sith Lord wants to know how his son is getting along with me. I don’t want things to devolve into something else.”  
  
Luke chuckled. “Don’t worry; my father likes you.”  
  
“He does not.”  
  
“No, really. After he saw the speech, he commented that my weaknesses are your strengths…and he thought we are a good fit.”  
  
She arched an eyebrow. “A good fit? Like I’m a socket interface to your scomp link?”  
  
Luke bit his lower lip trying not to laugh. “I really doubt my father was making that particular innuendo.” He twisted in his seat, so he was facing her fully. “I know this sounds strange, but I think he trusts you because you didn’t kill me when you had the chance.”  
  
“Then he trusts Karrde. I really wanted to kill you.” A chill went down her spine as she thought about how close she came to murdering Luke. She glanced over to him, thankful that she was unable to pull that trigger. “I still don’t know why I didn’t. It was all I thought about for years.”  
  
“Maybe it was the will of the Force,” Luke offered.  
  
She made a ‘Pfft’ sound. “You talk like the Force is sentient and not just an energy field we can tap into. Where did that idea come from?”  
  
Luke paused in thought. “My father has…interesting beliefs about the Force. He told me the Jedi and Sith both have prophecies…but how can you have a prophecy if things just happen randomly? He said prophecies are foreshadowing and that means something is already plotted out.”  
  
She tilted her head to better study his face. “Do you believe that? In fate?”  
  
He shrugged. “I don’t know enough about it to make an informed decision. I like to believe we have free will.”  
  
“I’d like to believe that also.” She looked at the chrono on the wall and stood. “It looks like the Princess wasn’t able to slice into the holonet to make a response. I should be getting back to the _Wild Karrde_ and get some evening wear for the club…I assume it is semi-formal.”  
  
Luke smiled brightly. “Semi-formal is fine. Do you want to meet me back here in an hour?”  
  
“Sure.”  
  
.  
.  
.  
.  
  
Mara was right, Karrde was planning on going to the Officer’s Club with his new girlfriend. Chin and Aves decided go to the _‘less stuffy’_ Senior Enlisted Club in hopes that other Imperial ladies might be attracted to civilian men.  
  
Mara rummaged through her closet for proper attire and decided on a forest-green, off the shoulder, figure-hugging, high slit, party dress.  
  
She exited her cabin and walked through the ship galley. Karrde had just taken a sip of his caf when she entered the room and nearly aspirated the warm fluid when he saw her. After coughing for a few seconds, he admonished his second-in-command. “Damn it, Mara, give me a warning before you decide to walk by me dressed like a Hapan courtesan.”  
  
She stopped and looked down at her clothing. “I’ll have you know this dress was created by Hector Renta the premier fashion designer on Naboo. A courtesan couldn’t afford it.”  
  
His brow rose. “Then how did you afford it? I don’t pay you that well.”  
  
She flashed a smile. “I used a bit of that reward money Skywalker gave us for stunning, abducting and drugging him.”  
  
Karrde looked her up and down appraisingly. “I see he’s going to get his money’s worth.”  
  
“You should talk.” She pointed to his clothing. “This is the first time I’ve seen you in black vest, tailcoat, and…” she reached up to the fabric around his neck. “Is that an ascot?”  
  
He playfully slapped her hand away. “No, it’s a silk puff tie.” He took a step back and held his hands out while turning full circle. “What do you think? Do you think Karrina will like it?”  
  
Mara tried to suppress a smirk but failed. “I can’t believe how smitten you are with this woman.”  
  
“Okay, I admit it, but tell me how I look.”  
  
She chuckled as she admired his tailored outfit, new haircut and well-groomed facial hair. “She’s not going to be able to keep her hands off you.”  
  
He burst out in a broad smile. “Great! That was the look I was going for.”  
  
She shook her head, amused by the change in her boss. “I’m going to meet Luke at his quarters and then swing by the club. See you there.”  
  
“Okay, see you soon.” Once Mara was out of hearing range Karrde muttered under his breath, “Maybe I’ll see you. I have a feeling when Luke sees you, he’ll won’t want to leave his quarters.”  
.  
.  
.  
.  
  
The air rushed out of Luke’s lungs when he opened the door of his billets to find Mara standing in the corridor and looking absolutely beautiful. It took him a full second before he remembered to breath. “Wow.”  
  
The fiery redhead smiled appreciatively as her gaze raked down Luke’s body. He decided not to wear his military uniform but instead opted for black trousers with a white shirt and dinner jacket. By the way she looked at him he obviously made the right choice.  
  
“Wow, yourself,” she returned his compliment.  
  
He stood in the doorway for a pregnant pause before he pulled himself out of his stupor. “I guess we should get to the club.” He offered her his arm and was pleased when she accepted. As they walked down the corridor arm in arm Luke couldn’t help but smile broadly. Mara Jade was easily the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on and today she was his date. This made being kidnapped and stunned worth it.  
  
As they walked to the Officer’s Club Luke could feel the eyes of passing stormtroopers follow their movements…or, he should say, follow Mara. One trooper actually walked into a wall after being distracted by the Mara’s gorgeous form.  
  
“Good thing he was wearing a helmet,” Mara whispered to Luke.  
  
“Yeah, we should hurry to the club before you give half of my crew concussions.”  
  
When they arrived at the Officer’s Club the band had already started playing to a packed room. Mara reached out with the Force and found Karrde sitting in the back of the club. She grabbed hold of Luke’s hand and pulled him in that direction. “Talon may have saved us seats,” she explained.  
  
When they made it to the back wall, she found Talon fawning over a pretty, dark-haired woman in civilian clothing. He pulled his gaze away from his date when he noticed Mara and Luke’s arrival. “There you are. Pull up a seat.” He gestured to his lady friend. “Mara, Luke, this is Karrina.”  
  
Talon’s date looked up to the newcomers and there was an immediate change in her demeanor. She swiftly stood at attention and greeted Skywalker. “Good evening, Sir.”  
  
Luke waved her off. “Sit down. I want to have a normal night without all the pomp and circumstance.”  
  
“Yes, sir.”  
  
Luke tried to carry on a casual conversation, but Lieutenant Shotts was obviously uncomfortable with second-in-command of the entire Empire sitting at her table. She sat ramrod straight in her seat and any questions from Luke she answered with a “Sir”. As in, _‘I am having a great time, Sir.’_  
  
“Karrina, you don’t have to be so formal,” Mara tried to put the woman at ease. “Skywalker here puts his trousers on one leg at a time like everybody else.”  
  
Karrde smirked at Mara. “So, you have been around him when he puts on his pants.”  
  
Mara glared at Karrde. “You know it is just an expression.”  
  
“Mara,” Luke said as he stood holding out his hand to his date. “Why don’t we dance.” He turned to Karrde. “If the serving droid passes by order a bottle of Karvånte´ sparkling wine and have it put on my tab.”  
  
Karrde barked out a laugh. “Yeah, the five hundred credit bottle of sparkling wine is definitely going on your tab.”  
  
Mara smiled as she stood and followed Luke out to the dance floor. The music was fast with a strong beat that encouraged couples to jump up-and-down rhythmically while their arms undulated in front of their bodies interspersed with an occasional clap of the hands.  
  
Luke wasn’t familiar with this particular dance. Dancing was not a skill he had much time to hone when he lived on Tatooine or while working with the Rebellion. Not wanting to look like a fool, he faced his partner and tried to copy her movements. He was fairly certain he was failing miserably when he noticed Mara was actively trying to suppress a laugh. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and slowed down her movement to a soft sway. “There is no rule saying you can’t slow dance to fast music.”  
  
Luke gently wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. “If there is such a rule, I will have it repealed by Imperial decree.”  
  
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “I think Lieutenant Shotts is a little overwhelmed about having her Supreme Commander at her table.”  
  
Luke turned his head enough to whisper in her ear. “I think she is more nervous about having a son of a Sith Lord in close proximity…and I don’t blame her. My father spent two decades crushing tracheas on Star Destroyers like this one.” He thought about it for a moment. “In fact, I think he did kill this ship’s Admiral four years ago, that is how Commodore Vanto got promoted to command.”  
  
“Ouch,” Mara whispered. She looked up when the music changed to a slow tune. “I think the band thinks you were giving them a hint.”  
  
“They are perceptive,” Luke whispered breathlessly as he clung to her, relishing her warmth and proximity. As they slowly swayed to the music the torture of wanting her was so great that Luke could hardly stand it. He knew he wasn’t alone in feeling this way; he could feel Mara’s attraction to him. She tried to hide it—shield herself within the Force—but she couldn’t fully conceal what she was feeling deep inside.  
  
He closed his eyes and allowed himself to daydream. In his mind’s eye he could see them together, in love, working side-by-side and building a family together. He imagined having a son of his own, or a daughter, or perhaps one of each…twins. They would have their mother’s hair and perhaps their father’s eyes. It was such a wonderful dream, but not one he was ready to share with Mara. Despite her obvious attraction to him, she had been very adamant that she didn’t desire a family…at least not at the moment.  
  
He was pulled out of his musings when he felt a shift of emotions from Mara. He opened his eyes and found her staring at him wide-eyed.  
  
“What was that?” She asked in a low, challenging whisper.  
  
Luke stopped dancing and looked around, completely confused as to what she was referring to. “What as what?”  
  
She dropped her hands from his shoulders and took a step back. “The images? Was it a vision of the future?”  
  
He looked at her blankly. “What images?”  
  
Her voice took on an impatient tone. “The vision of us as a family? Didn’t you see it?”  
  
His brow rose in shock. He knew they could communicate with each other, but he wasn’t trying to transmit images to her…she picked up his thoughts all on her own. “No, not a vision of the future…or at least I don’t think so. It was just wishful thinking on my part.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “How did you see that?”  
  
She shook her head. “It just appeared in my head.” She took a deep calming breath before regarding him curiously. “Could it be the bond your father talked about?”  
  
“I don’t know.” They had stopped dancing and people were now regarding them curiously. “I don’t know,” He repeated softly as he took her hand in his and led her off the dance floor. “Let’s go back to my quarters and discuss this.”  
  
She didn’t argue but allowed him to lead her toward the exit. As they passed their table Karrde called out telling Luke his sparkling wine had arrived.  
  
“You drink it,” Luke said with a wave of his hand. Karrde grinned and gave Luke a ‘thumbs up’. A gesture indicating the older man assumed Luke and Mara were off to find a more private place to continue the party. Luke only wished that was true.  
  
“Oh, you do, do you?”  
  
“Yes, I do.” He let out a frustrated breath. “What is wrong with wishing I could spend some time with a woman I am interested in?”  
  
“What?” She turned to him stunned. “Luke, I didn’t say anything. You’re responding to something I thought.”  
  
“And your response was to something I didn’t verbalize.”  
  
Panic welled up in both of them. He risked grabbing her arm at the elbow and rushing her out of the Club. “I don’t know what is happening or why, but I think we shouldn’t be in a public area. If we can’t discern between thoughts and words…then that might be a problem.”  
  
He tried to make his mind blank as they hurried back to his quarters, but the situation had him unnerved. He started to wonder how this skilled assassin would murder him if she discovered what erotic daydreams that he’s been having in the last few months.  
  
“What daydreams?” Mara insisted.  
  
This time he was fairly sure she said the words out loud. “Kriff!” he muttered to himself. Trying to not think about something was nearly impossible. If somebody told him to not think about pink rancors the first thought that would pop into his head was a pink rancor. And now Mara was asking about his erotic daydreams.  
  
“Why am I now seeing thoughts of us making out on top of a pink rancor!” Mara practically hissed as they moved quickly down the corridor to his quarters.  
  
“Just stop asking me questions. Obviously, your mental shields are better than mine.”  
  
“That’s because I lived a life where a Sith Lord could pop in my head at any time. I needed to form strong mental shields if I wanted any privacy.”  
  
“I’m going to need some lessons from you,” Luke remarked.  
  
After an excruciating amount of time they made it back to his quarters. As he closed the door behind him and leaned against the wall before apologizing to Mara profusely. “I am so sorry. Whatever is happening, I’m not doing it.” He took in a shuttered breath. “And I am so sorry for any thoughts, pure or impure, I’ve had about you. This is…”  
  
She raised a hand stopping his soliloquy. “Skywalker I am not upset over your thoughts. You’re a man, I’d be surprised if you didn’t think of sex frequently. I am concerned over our inability to shield our thoughts from each other. Why is this happening?”  
  
“I’m as confused as you.” He pushed away from the wall and walked over to the kitchen and pulled bottles of ale out from the cooling unit and offered one to Mara. “I think we both need a drink.” She gave him a weary look but accepted his offer. “This has to be Force related. Maybe I should contact my father and ask him about it.”  
  
She grimaced at his suggestion as she sat on his couch. “What are you going to do, call your father up and ask him why you are projecting suggestive images of playing _‘hide the lightsaber’_ with me?”  
  
He gave a grunt of disapproval. “I wouldn’t word it quite that inelegantly.” He moved to sit down next to her. “I will just ask him about the Force bond.”  
  
She took a sip of her drink and then looked up at the ceiling in thought. “I really don’t want to talk to your father. These images began when we started dancing.” She stood and took a step toward the door. “I’m going to see if distance weakens this bond.”  
  
Luke quickly stood and reached out, catching her hand in his. “Don’t go. We need to…” He stopped talking as his eyes went wide. There was an energy surge between them. One so intense that he could hear the crackling of its power. It only lasted a second, but in that second he saw a collage of images featuring Mara from her past. He envisioned her as a small child training to fight not long after she could walk. He saw images of Mara as she learned to dance, to speak multiple languages, to fly starships. He saw her relationship with Palpatine, her determination to serve her master faithfully, her fear of Darth Vader and jealousy that the Sith Lord was favored by the Emperor. He was privy to her grief over her Master’s death and her hatred of Luke Skywalker…a hatred that had changed over the last few months to one of grudging respect with a tinge of admiration and more than a little attraction.  
  
He pulled his hand away from Mara and both dropped to their knees. “I saw…” he hesitated, wondering how she would react to the news that he was now cognizant to her innermost private moments.  
  
“I saw it too,” she muttered in confusion. “Your life on Tatooine, seeing your family’s charred bodies, your relationship with the rebels.” She ran a hand over her face before gazing at Luke accusingly. “You’ve kissed Princess Leia. That doesn’t sound so ‘sisterly’ to me.”  
  
He stared at her dumbfounded before laughing at the absurdity of her comment. “We just experienced something so unique that we might be the only people in the galaxy to have this type of bonding and you’re jealous of Leia.”  
  
She rose to her feet. “I’m not jealous of that woman. I just caught you in a lie. ‘ _She’s like a sister to me,_ ’” she said mockingly.  
  
“She _is_ like a sister,” Luke chuckled darkly as he stood. “The sole intention to that kiss was to make Han jealous. She never felt anything but brotherly love for me.” He turned his gaze on her. “And I know what you’re doing. Desperately talking about everything but what we should be talking about—finding out what happened to us and why. We need to contact my father.”  
  
A fiery sigh spilled out of Mara and she turned away from the Jedi. “I suppose you’re right, but I’m not sure we’ll like the answer.”  
  
He knitted his brow. “What do you think he’s going to say?”  
  
She shrugged. “Maybe that there is such thing as fate and destiny…and we are predestined to be together.”  
  
He gazed at her sadly. “Would that be a bad thing?”  
  
He looked down at the floor. “No, but I don’t want the Force deciding these things for me.”  
  
Luke smiled weakly. “That’s understandable. Do you want to contact my father via transceiver, or should be take a shuttle to the Imperial Palace?”  
  
She thought about it. “Let’s take the shuttle.”


	16. Chapter 16

**_Lambda-class T-4a Shuttle en route to Coruscant_**  
  
Mara and Luke changed into clothing more appropriate for a meeting with the Emperor, left messages for Karrde and Commodore Vanto and took Luke’s private shuttle to Coruscant. As soon as they were in hyperspace Luke unbuckled his crash webbing and turned to Mara sitting in the copilot seat. “How much did you see?”  
  
She looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean?”  
  
He chewed the bottom of his lip before taking a long calming breath. “You told me you saw my family life and the kiss Leia gave me…what else did you see?”  
  
She smirked. “Are you asking if I saw teenage Luke standing in front of the ‘fresher mirror, butt naked and flexing his muscles?”  
  
A blush heated his face. “You saw that?”  
  
Mara broke out laughing. “No, I just assumed all young men have done that at some time in their life.”  
  
He huffed. “Mara, that’s not funny. Come on, how much did you see? I’d like to know if my entire personal life has been exposed to you.”  
  
She thought about it. “It appears that some of your stronger memories were revealed. I guess getting kissed by a real live princess made an impression on you.” She shifted in her seat. “Don’t worry, I didn’t see anything humiliating.” After a long pause she added. “Did you see anything embarrassing from my life?”  
  
Luke thought about it for a second and then chuckled. “You cry every time you watch the holodrama ‘ _The Secret Desire of Commander Dristig’_.  
  
She glared at him for a moment before smiling deviously. “And so do you!”  
  
They both broke out in laughter.  
  
“I can’t help it. It’s a sad love story,” Luke admitted before they fell into a long awkward silence.  
  
“Do you think it happened because of physical contact?” Mara finally asked. “It didn’t occur before we started dancing.”  
  
Luke shrugged. “It could be. Or the power might just be growing. It started with you hearing me through the Force.”  
  
She unbuckled her crash webbing and stood. “Do you want to experiment?”  
  
His brow rose. “Experiment?”  
  
She held her hand out to him. “Let’s see if physical contact causes these images.”  
  
He looked at her hand cautiously. The connection they felt earlier was alarming enough for them to get into a shuttle and travel to see his father. He wasn’t sure encouraging further bonding was prudent. “Ah, to what end?”  
  
She looked at him confused. “To see if it is physical contact that is causing these…visions of the past. If it is due to contact…then we could simply avoid each other. Problem solved.”  
  
Luke looked away, sad that she wanted the problem resolved in that manner. “Is that what you truly want? To walk away and pretend we never met each other?”  
  
She dropped her hand and gazed at him for a long moment. “I don’t know what I want.” She looked down at the deck. “I enjoy your company…and I wouldn’t mind spending more time with you…but I want it to happen on _my_ own terms. I don’t want a Force-arranged relationship.”  
  
Luke nodded. “That’s understandable…but in that case, I don’t think we should do any experiments. We could risk making the bond stronger. That could be very risky, because…” He paused trying to think of the correct way to explain what he was thinking. “Because, what if our Force connection becomes overwhelming in its power.” He stared at her intently. “I have to be honest, what happened between us was intoxicating…it made me want to be with you…to be connected to you. It could become addictive. What if we can’t break away from its pull?”  
  
“You think we could become addicted to each other?”  
  
“It’s possible.” He chuckled softly. “They don’t call me _Supreme_ Commander for nothing.”  
  
She let out a sarcastic snort. “Listen…the Force, or at least I assume it is the Force, showed us a glimpse of each other’s life, but that doesn’t explain this pull we have to each other. If I was shown glimpses of Emperor Palpatine’s life, there is a very good chance that I would be filled with revulsion. Knowing a person doesn’t equate to attraction. Something else must be involved.”  
  
“Doesn’t equate to attraction? So, you admit you’re attracted to me?” A broad grin blossomed across his face. “Maybe that is the unknown factor. We both are interested in each other and the visions just gave us a nudge in the right direction.”  
  
Mara’s cheeks flushed. “Maybe…I’ll admit you’re a handsome and likable man…but that’s why I want to figure out what is happening and why. No matter what explanation your father gives us, we have a choice to make. Do we part ways or go forward and see what happens between us?”  
  
“I’m all for us going forward.” He stood and held out his hand. “It is against my better judgement, but if you want to explore this…this thing that is happening to us, then I’m game.”  
  
She started to reach out her hand but then paused. He thought she was going to pull back, but after a second she extended her arm the rest of the way and grasped his hand in hers. He was expecting a rush of images or a crack of energy but was almost disappointed when nothing happened. “Well, that was underwhelming.”  
  
She smirked. “I guess you’re not so supreme after all.”  
  
He stepped forward until he was only a hands length from her. “We were dancing prior.” His voice took on a teasing tone. “Maybe we need body-to-body contact to get things started.”  
  
“Who’s tempting fate now?” She lifted her gaze and stared into his blue eyes before she stepped forward and brought her arms up and around his neck. “Okay, I’ll go along with your premise.”  
  
Mara pressed close, her warm body leaning into his. Luke closed his eyes and took in a shuttered breath as a jolt of sexual energy rocked him to the bone. He knew it wasn’t the Force at work this time, but simple male hormones. His arms circled her waist as he pulled her snug to his body. There was no music, but their lower bodies swayed in unison. Heat curled in him, threatening his control. “Mara,” he whispered. He was going to tell her they should quit before things got out of hand, but his body protested any caution that his brain demanded.  
  
“Luke,” she moaned as she leaned into his embrace. It was a sound that he only heard in his dreams. As he felt his desire for this woman magnify a thousand-fold, he began questioning his belief that he was only experiencing the manifestation of attraction and male hormones.  
  
His breath whispered over her neck. “Mara, we need to stop. This is too sudden; I think the Force is at work.”  
  
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. We are two people attracted to each other and both of us have been lonely for a very long time.”  
  
“Mara,” he moaned. “If it _is_ the Force at work…you’ll hate me at the end of the day.” He closed his eyes knowing he didn’t have the will to push her away. His eyes flew open when he felt her lips on his and his brain went into panic mode. He wanted to pull away. He _absolutely_ knew he should stop this before they crossed a line that they shouldn’t, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. His desire for her was overwhelming any caution. His eyelids fluttered closed, and with a sigh he gave in to the pleasure she offered.  
  
Mara’s luscious lips wandered over his jaw and then collarbone before she pulled away and drew in a ragged breath. “First off…wow! That was…that was amazing. Second, no visions. I guess physical contact is not the trigger for the Force bonding.”  
  
As she broke contact and stepped back, he stared at her slackjawed. “What?” he managed to whisper, his voice taunt with need. “This was an experiment?”  
  
She looked at him confused. “I asked you if you wanted to experiment.”  
  
“Experiment in holding each other…but you went way beyond that.” He couldn’t believe she would get him all hot and bothered and then just end things so abruptly. Before he could formulate a cohesive response, she reached up and cupped his face between her hands.  
  
“This is a good thing. This means we are in control of our destiny.” Her hands moved from his face and down the front of his Imperial uniform before resting on his hips. “Our fate is in our hands. The Force may have given us a peek of each other’s lives, but it’s not controlling us.”  
  
Luke took a long calming breath as he willed his body to cool down. “That’s wonderful Mara,” he said tersely, unable to hide the frustration in his voice. “That means we can go back to being platonic friends.”  
  
“After that kiss?” She shook her head. “That sparked something in me that I haven’t felt since…well, I never really felt that way since…ever.” Her expression turned to worry. “Unless that’s what you want…to stay platonic.”  
  
“No! I’ve been trying to woo you for months. Why would you think I want to stay _just friends_?”  
  
She flashed a shameless grin. “I think we are now beyond friends.”  
  
Luke's eyes widened. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”  
  
She snaked her arms around his waist and drew him closer. “I think maybe we should repeat the experiment to ensure the accuracy of our findings. Let's start with a kiss."  
  
Luke smiled as he lowered his mouth gently to hers. He wasn't sure where this scientific experimentation might lead, he just hoped they didn't regret it in the morning.


	17. Chapter 17

**_Lambda-class T-4a Shuttle en route to Coruscant_**  
  
Mara was impressed with Skywalker’s custom-built Lambda-class shuttle. Three-fourths of the rear passenger section of the ship was stripped out and replace with a private cabin complete with a full-size bed, closet and a latrine with toilet and a fully functional water and sonic shower.  
  
She was currently lying in bed listening to the soft snore of the man lying next to her. Their last few hours together were mind-blowing…almost magical, but after taking some time to think about what they have done she was getting worried. She didn't regret making love to the Jedi. He was a handsome man and eager lover capable of anticipating her every need and desire. They had the most amazing chemistry together...and that is what made her uneasy. She knew Luke believed this magical night of love making would change everything. He probably expected her to quit working for Karrde and run off with him and become Mrs. Mara Skywalker…and she didn’t want to see the disappointment in his face she when told him that wasn't going to happen.  
  
She spent almost two decades under the control of a Force-user. She didn’t want to be tied down to another. She liked her freedom and anonymity. If she openly dated Skywalker, her life would become public fodder. She blew out a breath, frustrated that she was stuck with Skywalker for another day before arriving on Coruscant. If this happened on the _Redeemer_ she was sure she would have snuck out of his cabin and blasted off on the _Wild Karrde_ as soon as he fell asleep.  
  
“Good thing we aren’t on the _Redeemer_ ,” Skywalker muttered half awake.  
  
She turned in bed and glared at the man outlined in the dim light. “Get out of my head, Skywalker!”  
  
He rolled over, the sheet falling down to his waist exposing his well-toned bare chest. “Mara, I am not in your head. You’re in mine. You’re projecting.”  
  
When she didn’t respond he reached out, his hand skimming down her side before resting on her hip. “You don’t want to stay with me?” he asked sadly.  
  
She shrugged a shoulder. “It’s just not a decision I want to make right away. Normal people date and the relationship evolves naturally. You warned me that we might become addicted to each other and you were right. What happened last night wasn’t simply the joining of bodies. I could feel your essence in the Force running through my body. It was like we were joined spiritually.”  
  
“And that’s a bad thing?”  
  
“No, not if it happens naturally. This is going way too fast.”  
  
He sighed deeply. “So, instead of going back to _‘just friends’_ we are…what?”  
  
She thought about it. “Lovers that are taking it slow. I don’t want to quit my job to be the Supreme Commander’s wife.”  
  
That got a laugh out of him. “I haven’t even asked you to marry me and I’m getting rejected.”  
  
“You thought it,” she mumbled under her breath.  
  
“Get out of my head, Jade!” Luke shot back before chuckling softly. “Don’t get yourself all worked up. We had sex…which may have been a bit premature in this stage of our relationship, but what is done is done.”  
  
“True,” she whispered before smiling reminiscently. “And it was done _so_ well. Kriff, I must be addicted because I wouldn’t mind having it done to me again.”  
  
“I think we’ll be safe from addiction if you use your sexy Supreme Commander in moderation.” Luke grinned as he reached around her waist and pulled her snug against his body. “They'll be no doubling up on doses in the morning if you miss your nightly prescription of hot farmboy turned seductive Imperial.”  
  
She made a face. "Ack, is that your idea of pillow talk? That almost made me cringe."  
  
He gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry, I haven't had many women on my pillow to practice." He nuzzled her ear before pressing a line of kisses down her neck. “Don’t worry, Mara. We’ll go as slow as you like.”  
  
She leaned into his embrace as he molded his rock-hard body to hers. “No pressure?”  
  
“No pressure at all,” he reassured her before he began a tortuous trail of kisses along her jaw line and neck. When his mouth brushed against her ear he whispered. “I’ll let you set the pace.”  
  
“Maybe a little faster,” she moaned as her hands plunged into his hair and pulled his head closer until their lips met in a searing kiss. As he savored the taste of her lips, Luke could feel the invisible threads of the Force binding them together tighten ever so slightly. He was positive Mara was his one true love. He only hoped she would eventually come to the same conclusion. Until then he would let her set the pace for the relationship and enjoy what she was willing to offer.  
  



	18. Chapter 18

**_Lambda-class T-4a Shuttle en route to Coruscant_**  
  
Mara was nervous and that was one feeling she absolutely abhorred. She wanted to blame Skywalker for her case of the nerves, but she knew that was unfair. Her uneasiness was because she was now facing a situation that she was not trained for…romance. She felt highly unqualified for the task and exceedingly vulnerable. Those unwelcome feelings seeped into her brain and woke her up hours before the end of the rest cycle. Knowing sleep would continue to elude her, she quietly rolling out of Skywalker’s bed and slipped into the cabin’s ‘fresher to shower. When the water reached the desired temperature, she stepped in and relished the feel of the hot water loosening the knots in her muscles.  
  
Another reason for her disquiet was the upcoming meeting with Darth Vader. Luke was accustomed to being around the Sith Lord, but she was sure she would never feel completely comfortable around Emperor Vader. It was bad enough that she was traveling to Coruscant to ask for guidance from the most dangerous and hot-tempered man in the galaxy, but she knew that she would never be able to hide from Vader her growing affection toward Luke. Darth Vader would sense through the Force that she had fallen in love with his son…and that might bring some very unwanted attention onto her. It was obvious that Vader was protective of Luke. What if he didn’t approve of their relationship? She doubted he would do anything outright if he did not condone the relationship…but she wouldn’t put it past him to hire assassins to take her out of his son’s life, if he so desired.  
  
She placed her hands against the shower wall and leaned forward, allowing the stream of water to flow over her hair and down her back. Why did she have to fall in love with Skywalker? This just made her life more complicated. She never loved anybody before…so why did it happened now?  
  
She felt a spike of emotion coming from the other room causing her to groan in frustration. She knew he sensed her thoughts. She hadn’t verbally expressed her love to him in the last two days, but the joyful emotion she now felt exuding through the Force let her know he heard her inner voice loud and clear. She wasn’t surprised when his nude form slipped into the shower with her. He pressed his body against her back and snaked his arms around her waist pulling her close.  
  
“I missed you,” he said as he ignored the spray of water to place kisses along her neck and shoulder.  
  
She turned around in his arms and pulled him out of the direct blast of the water. “I’ve been gone for about five minutes.” She raised an eyebrow waiting for him to ask her about what he sensed in the Force, but he only stood there looking sexy and with a very goofy look on his face.  
  
She rolled her eyes as she pushed him away. “Don’t hide the fact that you heard my thoughts.”  
  
He was trying his damnedest to keep that grin in check, but he couldn’t manage it. “Mara, you know I don’t eavesdrop.”  
  
She sighed. “But sometimes I project my thoughts and you just can’t help it.”  
  
He still didn’t admit why he was so happy. He reached out and grabbed her hips with firm hands and pulled her against his body. “Is there something you want to tell me?” His expression was one of innocence.  
  
She shrugged nonchalantly. “I can’t think of anything, off hand.”  
  
His eyes narrowed as his hands went from her hips to dip down and clasp her buttocks. “Nothing at all?”  
  
Mara gave a mock expression of deep thought before shaking her head. “Nope, nothing comes to mind.”  
  
He nipped lightly on her earlobe making her shudder. When he rubbed his open mouth against her throat her knees began to get weak. “Really?” he asked again. “Nothing?”  
  
He moved his hands up her back before his mouth consumed her in a rush of frantic kisses. When every cell in her body erupted with need, he released her and stepped back, making her moan at the loss of contact. “I guess I’ll leave you to your shower, then.” He wasn’t mad, she could feel his amusement through the Force. This was a ploy to get her to admit the words she felt but was reluctant to verbalize.  
  
As he moved to exit the shower, she reached out and caught his hand in hers, pulling him back inside. “Damn it, Luke. You are going to finish what you started.”  
  
She saw a twinkling in his deep blue eyes. “Why would I want to do that?”  
  
She gave him an expression of aggravation before turning off the water. “Because I love you. That’s why. You know it, I know it, and I might as well say it out loud.”  
  
Joy burst forth from him in a brilliant glow of love. He stepped forward and caressed her tenderly before he lowered his mouth gently to hers. Mara was lost as the kiss touched her deeply, spilling through her very soul. After a prolonged moment they broke apart to get some air. He smiled at her lovingly. “I love you too, Mara.” He took her hands in his and pulled her out of the shower and led her to his bed.  
  
She broke free and tried to reenter the ‘fresher. “I need a towel. I’m wet.”  
  
“Yes, you’re wet.” He caught her around the waist and gently guided her toward the bed. “And that’s because I am a skilled moisture farmer.”  
  
She rolled her eyes at his cheeky comment. “That line _did_ make me cringe.”  
  
He laughed as he lowered her onto his mattress and crawled onto the bed next to her. “I told you pillow talk was never my forte.” He smirked brazenly as he ran a hand down her side. “But why don’t you give me thirty minutes and I can demonstrate a few of my strengths.”  
  
She surprised herself when a girlish giggle escaped her lips. “How about I give you an hour and you can exhibit all of your many talents?”  
  
“That definitely will take more than an hour,” he teased.  
  
“Well, that is something you are going to have to prove.”  
  
“Challenge accepted,” he whispered huskily as he lowered his lips to hers.


	19. Chapter 19

**_Imperial Palace, Coruscant_**  
  
“My father is not going to kill you,” Luke assured Mara as they walked arm-in-arm down the palace halls to Emperor Vader’s throne room.  
  
“Maybe not,” she whispered. “Maybe he’ll only lock us in a room until we provide him with a grand-sith.”  
  
Luke chuckled. “For an average person, confinement and unlimited conjugal visits with someone that is extremely sexy, doesn’t sound so bad.”  
  
“Maybe not for you.”  
  
A grin slipped across his lips. “I was the sexy one in that scenario.” He laughed when she pushed him away in a huff. “I’m joking.”  
  
As they neared his father’s throne room the number of Imperial officers and Stormtroopers passing through the corridors increased. They all gave him a wide berth until they came to the throne room door where two red armored Royal Guards stood at attention.  
  
Mara and Luke stopped in front of the men flanking the door and Luke smiled as he recognized the guards through the Force. One was Sergeant Matta, a former Death Trooper, who was tasked to train Luke in hand-to-hand combat. The other was Corporal Dyer, a skilled pilot who taught Luke how to fly a Tie-Fighter. “Morning Gentlemen, nice to see you two again. Is my father in a good mood today?”  
  
The taller man shrugged his armored shoulder. “We’re alive, sir, so he’s not in a foul mood.”  
  
Luke laughed at the joke…or at least he thought it was a joke. Before he could respond the guards opened the double doors and announced their arrival. “Your Highness, Supreme Commander Skywalker and Master Trader Mara Jade have arrived.”  
  
Luke turned to Mara and gave her a reassuring smile before they entered. His father was not on his throne but standing in front of a holoprojector analyzing what looked like detailed interior schematics for a starship. He flipped off the projector and turned to face Luke before speaking in a deep, baritone voice. “I was told you wished an audience, but there was no indication as to why?”  
  
Luke halted a few meters from the Sith Lord and untangled his arm from Mara’s before smiling at his father. “Must a son have a reason to visit his father?”  
  
Emperor Vader approached. “A good son doesn’t, but you usually have a reason.”  
  
Luke broke out in a wide smile as he closed the distance between them and gave his father a friendly hug. The Sith Lord raised his arms in surprise before giving his son a tentative pat on the back. “That’s enough,” Vader grumbled. “Your head almost hit the buttons on my chest plate. You want to turn off my ventilator?”  
  
Luke took a step back and shook his head. “Why do you have buttons on your chest armor that can turn off your life support?”  
  
“I didn’t make the suit; I just wear it.” Vader groused while observing his overly exuberant, smiling son. “Why are you in such a good mood?”  
  
Luke blushed not wanting his father to know his disposition had something to do with the mind-blowing sex he had for the last couple days. “I ah…” Luke gave a furtive glance to Mara before continuing. “Mara and I had a change in our relationship…for the better.”  
  
When Luke didn’t elaborate Vader asked, “Can I assume congratulations are in order?”  
  
Luke stared at his father dumbfounded. It wasn’t a stretch for his father to assume he and Mara were having a sexual relationship, but why would he congratulate Luke about that? Did his father believe he was a virgin until now? He opened up his mouth to say something but Mara’s voice in his head silenced him. _‘He’s asking if we are engaged to get married! Not congratulating you on getting laid!’_  
  
“Oh,” Luke said out loud before regaining his wits. “We’re not engaged or anything. Our relationship is not that far along. We just started dating.”  
  
Vader made a humping noise. He gazed down at Mara. “I’m glad to see that my son has put your skills to good use.”  
  
Luke could feel the shock and then anger building up in Mara. He was confused by her reaction at first, but he quickly cleared up the misunderstanding, “Father is referring to your help with my response to the Rebel’s propaganda.” Then through the Force he finished his sentence. _‘He’s not thanking you for kriffing his son.’_  
  
“Oh,” Mara whispered before smiling at the Sith Lord. “You’re very welcome, Emperor Vader.”  
  
There was a long pause between the three before Vader spoke again. “I sense you are communicating through the Force.”  
  
“Yes…and that is what we wanted to talk to you about.” Luke turned to Mara. “We’ve experienced a type of Force bonding. We can not only talk to each other, but we often can see each other’s thoughts. Sometimes it is like we are one person.” Luke paused as the memory of the last time it occurred swept over him giving him a shiver. “Can you tell us why this is happening?”  
  
Luke took a step back as he felt anger building up in his father. “I am not doing this to you. I promised I would not interfere in your life and I have kept that promise!”  
  
“Whoa, wait, wait, wait!” Luke said quickly, trying to quell his father’s anger. “We didn’t even know that was possible. We thought it was some strange occurrence in the Force.” When he felt his father’s anger diminish Luke ventured a question. “Can a Force user do that?” He pointed to Mara. “Could somebody manipulate us into having this bond?”  
  
Luke heard his father take a long mechanical breath before he walked over to his throne and sat down heavily. “It is possible, but it is a Sith skill.”  
  
Luke gave a sigh of relief as he approached his father. “Then it must be the Force, because you are the last of the Sith and you said you’re not doing this.” When his father didn’t respond Luke continued. “You _are_ the last of the Sith, right?”  
  
“That is debatable.”  
  
Luke’s brow went up. “How so?”  
  
Vader looked down at the floor. “I never felt my master’s death.”  
  
Mara walked up next to Luke. “I told you. I didn’t feel his death either.”  
  
Luke threw up his hands exasperated. “Really? He’s dead. A Force-user can’t live in a vacuum.”  
  
“His body may be dead,” Vader said slowly, “but there is a belief that powerful Force-users can maintained his or her conscious even when release to the flow of the Force.”  
  
“Like a ghost?” Mara ventured.  
  
Luke’s eyes went wide. He never told anybody about his visits from his former master. He also never questioned Obi-Wan’s ability to manifest as a spirit. Did the Sith have the same capabilities? Even it they did, what harm could the spirit of Palpatine bring upon the living, unless…, “can a dead Sith’s spirit possess a person?”  
  
“It is possible,” Vader admitted. “Emperor Palpatine was strong in the Force…and he was an apprentice to the late Darth Plagueis. Palpatine and Plagueis studied Force-bonding and transferring consciousness into another body. Unfortunately, if Palpatine perfected this skill, he did not pass that knowledge on to me.”  
  
Mara gazed at Emperor Vader in shock. “Do you think Palpatine is alive and trying to create this bond between me and Luke? And if so, why?”  
  
“The Emperor was fascinated with something called a dyad in the Force.” Vader paused in thought before continuing. “His Master, Darth Plagueis, attempted to form a dyad with Palpatine, who was his apprentice at the time, but that failed. When I was a young Jedi, Chancellor Palpatine discovered that many on the Jedi Council believed I was the prophesied Chosen One. He thought he could form a dyad with me if I could be turned. He manipulated my fall to the darkside, but, once again, he failed to form a Force bond with me, his apprentice.” He stood and walked toward Luke and Mara. “If he lives, he might attempt to form a bond between you two and then take possession of one of your bodies.”  
  
Mara made a face. “Ugh.”  
  
“Yeah,” Luke agreed. “But we don’t know if he lives or not. We may be getting worried over nothing.”  
  
Vader turned and walked to the back of the throne room gesturing for Mara and Luke to follow. To Luke it looked like his father was walking toward a bare wall, but as he neared a hidden panel slid open leading to a dark corridor. As Luke followed his father into the hidden space, he noticed Mara was no longer next to him. He stopped and looked back to his lover. She was standing at the entrance with a haunted look on her face. “Mara?”  
  
She took a shuddered breath. “I can’t go in.”  
  
Luke was confused. “Why not?”  
  
She shook her head. “I don’t know...I just can't.”  
  
Vader doubled back and stood next to his son. “Palpatine must have given her a command to never enter his private domain. It is buried deep within her subconscious.” He glanced over to his son. “I am curious as what other subliminal commands the Emperor might have immersed within her brain.”  
  
“Can his commands be overridden?” Mara asked nervously. “And does the fact that I still obey mean Palpatine’s alive?”  
  
Vader moved past his son and approached her slowly.  
  
“Father…” Luke became worried. If Vader saw Mara as dangerous—an agent of Palpatine that could be activated—would he kill her? “Don’t hurt her.”  
  
The Sith Lord looked back to his son. “Don’t you trust me?”  
  
Luke’s mouth opened and then closed not exactly sure what to say. After a moment of consideration, he opted for the truth. “Umm…I trust that you will do whatever you believe is best for you and possibly me, but that doesn’t mean she’s safe if you see her as a threat.”  
  
“You are correct, but I do not see the Emperor’s Hand as a threat just yet.” He turned his attention back to her. To Luke’s relief she did not show any aggression toward his father but stood motionless and silent. “If the command was to not enter without the Emperor’s permission, we may be able to override. If the command was to not entire unless Emperor Palpatine allowed it…it may take more time purging that command from your head.”  
  
“Okay,” Mara said softly. Her voice was steady, but Luke could feel her anxiety increasing as his father neared her. “Is this going to hurt?”  
  
“No.” By now the Sith Lord was only an arm’s length away from her. “Do you recognize me as the rightful Emperor of the Imperial Worlds? Do you pledge loyalty to me, Emperor Vader?”  
  
Mara looked up and gazed at the Dark Lord questioningly before realizing Vader’s intentions. “I do.” She dropped to a knee supplicating herself before the Emperor. “I am a loyal imperial and recognize your sovereignty over the Imperial worlds.” She cast her eyes down. “What is your bidding, Emperor Vader?”  
  
He motioned with his hand for her to rise. “As Emperor I am ordering you to enter my private domain.”  
  
Mara rose to her feet and slowly walked to the secret entrance. She hesitated long enough to take a deep breath before she stepped forward and crossed the threshold. She turned and smiled at Luke. “I did it.”  
  
“Don’t be too pleased,” Vader said as he walked past to lead them deep within the hidden chamber. “Once inside, you are not going to like what you see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not Mara becoming an Imperial agent/soldier/hand once again but her simply recognizing Darth Vader as the true Emperor and admitting she is a citizen of the Empire. Then if the Force suggestion was for her not to enter without the Emperor's permission, then it could be overridden by Vader. If the Force suggestion specified Palpatine had to give her permission, then that might not work.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Imperial Palace, Coruscant** _

Vader led them down a long, dimly lit corridor. Mara was familiar with most secret passages within the Imperial palace, but this particular clandestine passageway was unknown to her. She found it amazing that Emperor Palpatine was able to place a ‘Do Not Enter’ suggestion in her brain when she didn’t even know this place existed. Vader was right to wonder what else the Emperor did to her. It had become apparent that she was subject to at least one Force suggestion, and also a memory rub after it was lodged into her brain. Did she have some hidden last command tucked in a corner of her mind just waiting to be activated?

As they silently moved down the hall, she scrutinized her surroundings. The passage was fairly new construction, probably no more than twenty years old. Unlike the diamond inlaid marble tiles found in the oldest parts of the palace, these floors were made of a special duracrete that mimicked the look of black onyx. The walls were of the standard imperial design: dark grey, metallic with translucent wall panels located every five meters or so. There were no doors along the corridor, just a long hallway ending with a turbolift. As they arrived to the end of the corridor the lift doors silently slid open. They entered the small enclosed area and the Emperor turned and pushed a lone button on the control panel. Obviously, this was a dedicated turbolift going down, but to where she didn’t know.

She looked over to the Sith Lord and wondered what he meant by ‘you are not going to like what you see’? She had a thousand of questions she wanted to ask, but she reigned in her curiosity. She knew Emperor Vader was not the type of person to field queries. She would just have to wait and see. She glanced over to Luke who was standing between her and his father. Mara could sense he was a little concerned for her safety and probably positioned himself to protect her if Vader suddenly had a dark side epiphany and decided she should be killed. She mentally scoffed. Farmboy wouldn’t stand a chance against his father in a real fight, but it was a sweet, albeit hopeless, gesture on his part. All she could hope for was this fatherly love Luke professed his father had for him was extended to her as a courtesy to Luke.

Either the turbolift was slow or they were going deep into the bowels of Coruscant. She figured the latter. If Palpatine had a secret hideout it would be deep enough to withstand a planetary bombardment. After a very long descent the doors opened. She wasn’t sure what she expected to see, but it obviously wasn’t a medical facility/laboratory.

“I thought this might be Palpatine’s bunker,” she said in surprise as she stepped off the lift with Luke and his father. She turned to face Lord Vader. “Obviously, I thought wrong.”

“I was just as confused when I first came here with a squad of my best troopers.” Vader led them past long tables cluttered with centrifuges, microscopes, refrigeration units, microbiological incubators and other precision instruments. “I had seen the Emperor retreat through the passageway, but I was also forbidden from entering…until I became the Emperor.”

The place was empty. She couldn’t tell how long it had been abandoned since small cleaning droids scooted across the floors and levitated over equipment sucking up dust and debris. As she followed Vader around the corner she sucked in a breath.

Cloning cylinders!

“This was a cloning laboratory,” she whispered. “Who was he cloning?”

“Who do you think?” Vader ran a gloved hand over a smashed cloning chamber. The transparisteel tube had carbon scoring and also what looked like telltale lightsaber strikes through it. The droids had cleared the rubble off the floor, but the destroyed units were never replaced. “Emperor Palpatine had five clones of himself in various stages of life floating in these tubes.” He turned and gazed at Luke and Mara. “I had my men destroy the laboratory and imprison the cloners. Under interrogation it was confirmed that he intended on taking over one of his clones upon death.”

“But you killed them,” Luke asked his father. "The clones, that is."

“I killed all of them here. It is unknown if more laboratories exist scattered among the galaxy.”

Mara walked past the cylinders to a backroom. When she opened the door, the lights flicked on automatically. “These weren’t for cloning.”

Luke walked over to what she was looking at. In the room was a medical birthing chair with stirrups. Mara turned and gaped at Vader. “Was he impregnating women? Or was he stealing newborns? It was one or the other because I know he wasn’t running a kriff’n woman’s health center.”

Vader chuckled darkly. “According to one of the scientists, he was experimenting on pregnant women. The cloners weren’t certain what he was doing but reported that he would simply stare or lay hands on the women’s extended bellies for up to an hour.”

“He was doing something with the Force,” Luke ventured.

“Yes,” Vader said. “Most likely he was attempting to manipulate the midi-chlorians count of the fetus…possibly attempting to grow his own version of the Chosen One…since I wasn’t the answer to his Dyad quest.”

Luke shook his head in confusion. “I am not quite clear as to what exactly is a dyad and what the hell are midi-chlorians?”

Vader slowly turned to face his son. “The Jedi believed midi-chlorians were needed for a person to touch the Force. The more a person had, the stronger they were in the Force. They were believed to be microscopic symbionts located within our bodies…possibly sentient.”

Mara laughed thinking it was a joke, but immediately realized her mistake when she felt a spike of irritation from the Sith Lord. Vader was dead serious. “Sorry…the concept that we have intelligent organisms living in our bodies seems…fantastic.”

Vader walked over to the birthing chair and looked down upon it. “I thought the same. I…I dislike the idea that something is controlling me. I had the highest Midi-chlorian count the Jedi Council had ever seen…over twenty thousand. That is why they thought I was the prophesied Chosen One.”

Mara walked around the chair, studying it. “What was the prophesy?”

“The Chosen One would bring balance to the Force by destroying the Sith.” Vader lingered in thought. “I often wondered why the Emperor, knowing the prophecy, decided to risk turning me?”

“He was neutralizing a threat,” Mara offered.

“Possible.”

“Wait,” Luke said while rubbing his temples. “Do you mean to say the Jedi thought there were little intelligent creatures in our body controlling us? How would these creatures come to a consensus as to what to make us do? It would have to be like a hive-mind? Like the mythical Killiks?”

“The Killiks weren’t mythical,” Vader assured his son. “They disappeared, but they were once real. But no, I don’t think they are like the Killiks, but perhaps something similar to the Taurills.” Vader fell silent before he stalked out of the room. “Discussions on the nature of the Force can wait. The point is Palpatine intended to possess a body after his death…and I believe at least one clone escaped.”

Luke followed his father out of the room. “Why do you think that?”

“During my interrogations it was revealed that the women were impregnated by one of Palpatine’s clones. A failed clone…one that was not a Force Adept. The cloners said he could be found in the Imperial harem, but when I went there he had escaped along with the women.”

Mara groaned. “So, there is a Palpatine clone wandering out in the universe and who knows how many little baby Palpatines.”

“There’s an Imperial harem?” Luke muttered before being elbowed by Mara. He looked at her sheepishly. “Sorry, it is just a surprise.”

She shook her head in frustration before her eyes went wide. Her gaze shot up to the Sith Lord. “Emperor Vader…when did Palpatine start this breeding program?”

A cold chill ran down her spine as she felt Vader hesitate to answer. She had seen holovids of Palpatine in his youth on Naboo. He was a handsome man, with cleft chin and fiery red hair. “Is he my father? Do you know?”

Luke gazed at his father looking pale, waiting for an answer.

“No, he is not. The program started a few years after you were born.”

A pained expression crossed Mara’s face. “Palpatine said he didn’t know my age. I don’t know how old I am, so how would you know?”

The Sith Lord took a deep mechanical breath before turning to the Emperor’s Hand. “You are approximately three months older than my son and the Emperor is not your father. That much I can tell you.”

She looked at him stubbornly growing furious that her past was hidden from her for so long. “How do you know that much?”

“Because not all the younglings within the Jedi Temple died during the purge. The ones too young to have been indoctrinated by the Jedi were brought to the Emperor to serve him.”

As he gazed at her she thought she felt a bit of remorse from the Sith Lord leaking out through the Force.

Vader let his words sink in before continuing. "Before Palpatine became Emperor, you, Mara Jade, were destined to become a Jedi Knight.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Bulk Freighter _Wild Karrde_ currently berthed within the ventral docking bay of the Star Destroyer _Redeemer_**  
  
Talon returned to his ship’s cabin with a towel wrapped around his waist and holding two cups of caf. He closed the door behind him and stopped to gaze at the beautiful nude woman lying belly down on his bunk. After a long moment she turned her head to look at him. “What are you staring at?”  
  
He grinned widely as he moved forward to hand her a cup. “My dear Karrina, I’m gazing lovingly at your back dimples. I find those lower back indentations above your perfectly formed bottom…absolutely mesmerizing.”  
  
“Why, thank you Captain Karrde.” She looked him up and down appreciatively. “And I find your bilateral inguinal crease particularly sexy.”  
  
His brow furrowed. “My what?”  
  
She cocked her finger indicating for him to move closer. “The inguinal crease runs from the right and left iliac spine to the pubic bone.” She ran a finger from his hip to groin. “It makes a ‘V’ shape.” She grinned lovingly. “A pharmacist does have to know something about anatomy and physiology.”  
  
He chuckled as he sat down on the bed next to her. “I didn’t know there was an official name for that. I just called it my groin cleavage or sometimes my happy trail to paradise.”  
  
“Groin cleavage? That’s a new one.” She shook her head in disbelief before sitting up and sipping her caf. “I’ve really enjoyed our time together.” She looked at him sadly. “The _Redeemer_ arrives at Corellia today. Will you be leaving?”  
  
“I have a job.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I was able to stay as long as I did because your ship was going in the same direction that we planned to travel.”  
  
“Yeah.” She averted her eyes and tried to hide her disappointment. “I’ll miss you.”  
  
“Hey,” Talon took her cup out of her hands and placed it on the end table along with his. “I’m going to see you often." He leaned in and gave her a long passionate kiss before pulling back to gaze into her wistful hazel eyes. "Your Supreme Commander is smitten with my second-in-command. I’m sure he will make sure we make frequent supply runs to his flag ship.”  
  
“What if Jade decides to marry him? What if they go off to live in the Imperial Palace?”  
  
The thought that Mara Jade might leave his employment never crossed his mind. “Oh.” He didn’t like the thought of losing his best employee, but at the same time he couldn’t help but want the best for his friend. “I’m sure Commodore Vanto will continue to order items we can provide for his crew.”  
  
“And if he doesn’t?”  
  
Talon smiled at his lover. “If Mara leaves my employment and Vanto no longer orders supplies through my organization…well, then there will be a job vacancy that I need to fill.”  
  
She looked at him blankly.  
  
“You! You could become part of my crew,” he explained.  
  
She shook her head. “My college was paid for by the military. I have a six-year service obligation of which I have only done two. I will be under Imperial contract for the next four years.” She reached down to the floor and retrieved her civilian tunic she discarded the night before in the heat of the moment. “Besides, I’m a pharmacist. What would I do as a crew member?” She pulled on her clothing and then looked at Talon waiting for an answer.  
  
“Well,” he said slowly. “We often smuggle pharmaceuticals.”  
  
She gave his shoulder a playful shove. “Be serious.” She picked up his boxer briefs and tossed them in his direction before hunting down the remainder of her clothing.  
  
“I _am_ serious. Haven’t you heard of pharmaceutical representatives? I can adjust my business plan for pharmaceutical sales and delivery.”  
  
She stared at him in disbelief. “You’d do that?”  
  
“Yes.” He sighed deeply knowing he was rushing things...but he had never felt this way about a woman before. She was special. So much so, he was ready to rearrange his entire life to spend more time with her. “Either that, or I’m going to have to join the Imperial Navy.”  
  
“Oh no.” She walked over and ran a hand over his bearded face. “They would make you shave, and you look way too sexy with that beard.” She leaned in and kissed him on the lips. “We have four years to think about the future. I have an obligation that I must complete unless the military starts offering early outs for Navy downsizing.”  
  
"You're right." He pulled on his trousers and tunic before wrapping Karrina in his arms. “Are you getting any shore leave while in orbit? I have to go down to the planet to pick up cargo, but we can stay for the day if you want to do some bar hopping.”  
  
“Yes, I would like that very much.” She leaned in hugging him tightly. “How about we meet tonight. There is a club called the Hard Nights Tavern. It is a few blocks from the Imperial Training Center. It caters to Imperial service members, but they don’t mind the occasional sexy smuggler.”  
  
Talon smiled broadly. “It’s a date then.”  
  
.  
.  
 ** _Imperial Palace, Coruscant_**  
  
“If the clone that escaped wasn’t a Force adept…can Palpatine use him…you know to occupy his body,” Luke asked his father after they left the laboratory and returned to the Emperor’s quarters. The Sith Lord’s apartment was sparse with most of the space occupied by a black metallic meditation chamber that allowed Vader to survive without his helmet. Luke had never been inside the chamber and had yet to glimpse his father’s true face. His father never offered to show Luke…most likely because he was seriously disfigured in his fight against Obi-Wan.  
  
Other than the meditation pod there was a couch and a few chairs along with a long conference table with a large holoprojectoer in the center. The first time Luke entered the apartment he went to the kitchen and found no plates, pots or utensils. There was also no food or beverages in the cooling unit. It was a stark reminder of his father’s grievous injuries. Darth Vader would never eat normally. All sustenance was provided by a feeding tube that pumped nutrients from a storage container underneath his armor. Luke didn’t know where his father went to replace the nutrients and he never asked. He really didn’t feel comfortable discussing his father’s bodily functions when it came to the suit. Luke did notice that after that first meeting together, the Emperor stocked beverages and nonperishable food for his son.  
  
Luke and Mara were currently sitting on the lone couch while Vader occupied a large cushioned chair.  
  
“It is doubtful that the clone’s body would be of any use to him. The only thing it was good for was carrying on the Palpatine line. More than a dozen women were impregnated. The Cloners said most of the offspring had mediocre Force abilities.”  
  
Mara shifted in her seat. “Where are the children now?”  
  
“It has been over twenty years since the first were born; they are no longer children.” Vader turned to Mara, his ominous black lens focusing on her, pinning her to her seat. “You grew up with some of them. Inquisitor Valglorius, Imperial Guardsman Ratten, Agent Kanonfort. The remainder didn’t have much Force potential and were placed as Imperial Stormtroopers or Tie Fighter pilots.”  
  
Luke looked at his father questioningly. “Did they know they were related to the Emperor?”  
  
“No, and most are now dead by the hands of the rebels.” Vader leaned back in his seat. “There are a few younglings born a year or two before Palpatine’s death. They were adopted out to families. They were deemed ‘unsuccessful offspring’ by Palpatine. They were not Force adepts.” Emperor Vader fell silent for a long moment before continuing. “I considered tracking them down and…eliminating them…but…” He looked over to Luke. “But I know that would meet your disapproval and jeopardize our relationship.”  
  
Luke’s brow went up in surprise. “Thank you, father.”  
  
Vader’s discomfort could be felt through the Force. He wasn’t used to being merciful and he especially was not accustomed to gratitude. “Much has been taken away from me. I will not lose my son…not again.” Vader took a deep mechanical breath before awkwardly shifting in his seat. He looked down at the floor and then back to Luke and Mara. “So…you and the former Emperor’s Hand are now dating?”  
  
Luke cleared his throat before answering. “Yes.”  
  
“After she kidnapped and tried to sell you to the highest bidder?”  
  
Luke looked over to Mara and gave her a nervous smile. “What can I say, Father, I like dangerous women.”  
  
“You may have gotten more than you can handle.” Emperor Vader gazed at Mara Jade for long pause before chuckling. “Mara Jade is the most dangerous woman that ever served the Empire.”  
  
“So,” Luke ventured jokingly. “Are you saying she could do better?”  
  
Mara bit down on her lower lip, wondering if this type of banter was the norm between Luke and Vader.  
  
“If Palpatine put a command deep into her subconscious to kill you or me…she could be very dangerous.” He turned to face Mara. “But Palpatine always underestimated you and your power. I do not believe you will harm my son. I can sense…” Vader took in a deep breath and let it out. “I can sense you are both protective of each other. And there is that bond. I wonder…” Vader trailed off leaving the sentence unfinished.  
  
“Wonder what, Father?”  
  
The Sith Lord straightened in his seat. “I wonder if Palpatine was wrong in thinking he would be part of the prophesied Dyad. Perhaps the Dyad is here, now, within you two.”  
  
Luke looked over to Mara and back to his father. “Does that mean I’m the Chosen One?”  
  
“No!” his father shouted adamantly. “ _I_ am the Chosen One. It was the Jedi who were confused as to how the prophesy would play out. If Palpatine does live I will find him and destroy the last of the Sith.”  
  
“Aren’t you Sith?” Luke questioned his father.  
  
“Obviously not! A true Sith Lord would be tracking down baby Palpatines and Force choking them!” Vader made a wide gesture with his arm. “I have created homeless shelters, free undergraduate college education, and Galactic Health Care! Do you really believe that is the work of a Sith!”  
  
Mara looked back and forth between the two men but remained silent. obviously not wanting to get into an argument between the two Skywalkers.  
  
“No, Father," Luke said slowly. "You are a changed man. You are as formable as any Sith but with a soul. You are a man I am proud to call my father.”  
  
Luke felt his father become guarded and he realized he shouldn’t have had this conversation in front of Mara. It embarrassed his father. He was relieved when the holoprojector beeped indicating an incoming message.  
  
“Projector on,” the Emperor commanded and a holographic image of Commodore Vanto appeared.  
  
“Emperor Vader,” Vanto said, his voice strained. “There has been a rebel attack on Corellia. A Rebel Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser came out of hyperspace and hit the _Redeemer_ with quad ion cannons temporarily disabling our weapon systems. They then utilized a dorsal superlaser to destroy the Imperial Training Center. By the time our systems came back online they had made the jump to hyperspace. Grand Admiral Thrawn will be joining us within the hour and will take command and organize our response.”  
  
“Where did the rebels acquire a Dreadnaught? We supposedly destroyed them all in our last conflict!” Vader bellowed as he rose out of his seat.  
  
“Unknown Emperor Vader. None of our Dreadnaughts are missing…and the ship appears to be an older model…possibly from the Galactic Republic era.”  
  
“Clone War Dreadnaughts do not have dorsal superlasers capable to destroying planetary targets,” Vader pointed out.  
  
Luke could see Eli Vanto swallow hard. The man had to know Darth Vader was capable of Force strangling people across the vastness of space. “Your Highness, the superlaser could have been retrofitted onto an older ship.” There was a pause. “Do you have orders for me Emperor Vader or should I continue to wait for the Grand Admiral?”  
  
Vader shook his head, obviously frustrated. “Get me a casualty report and any information on the rebel ship. Send hourly updates to my intelligence division.”  
  
“Yes, Emperor Vader.” Commodore gave a curt nod of his head before the signal disconnected.  
  
Before the Emperor could say more Mara’s commlink beeped. She gave a cursory glance at the scrolling text before doing a double take. “Oh kriff.”  
  
Luke felt her shock through the Force. “What is it?”  
  
When Mara faced Luke, he immediately knew the situation was bad…Mara was crying. “It’s from Aves. The _Wild Karrde_ was on Corellia when the rebel assault happened. Talon was meeting his lady friend near the attack site and they are currently missing…they may be dead.”


	22. Chapter 22

**_Coronet City Medical Center, Corellia_**  
  
Luke and Mara barged into the hospital room assigned to Talon Karrde only to find an empty bed.  
  
“Where is he?” Mara’s voice rose to a near screech as she grabbed the closest nurse in the hallway. “Where is Talon Karrde, room fifty-six?”  
  
The nurse was a middle aged, human female with a resting face that said, “ _Don’t kriff with me_ ”. It looked like the healthcare worker was about to make a derogatory comment before she spied Supreme Commander Skywalker next to the irate redhead. At that instant her demeanor changed to one more accommodating. “He’s not in his room?” She walked over to room 56 to confirm her patient was absent before sighing deeply. “He’s an escape artist, but he doesn’t go far.” She motioned for Mara and Luke to follow her. “He’s probably down by the bacta immersion tanks.”  
  
She led the couple down a maze of hallways before she pushed open a set of double doors and entered into a huge room, revealing rows and rows of immersion tanks filled with survivors of the rebel attack. Near the end of one row was Talon Karrde in a hospital gown standing with his hands and head leaning against a tank.  
  
“Talon!” Mara ran up to her boss and enveloped him in a warm hug. “I’m so glad you survived.”  
  
Luke stood back for a minute before he approached the smuggler and put a hand on his shoulder. “If there is anything you need, Talon, anything…just let me know.”  
  
Karrde pulled out of Mara’s embrace and drew in a deep breath. “You can hunt down the rebels that did this and kill them!” He motioned to the woman floating in the bacta tank her modesty protected by a white sleeveless top and briefs. “Look what they did to her!”  
  
Luke gazed at the young Lieutenant and winced. The once beautiful woman was now missing her right forearm, a foot and had severe lacerations on the right side of her face and skull.  
  
“I’m sorry Talon,” Luke whispered, trying to keep his voice even. “I’m missing a hand. Cybernetic limbs today are amazing. I’ll make sure she gets the best care.”  
  
Karrde pulled in a ragged breath before clenching his teeth. “She lost an eye and has brain damage.”  
  
“We’ll do neural reconstruction,” Luke said quickly.  
  
“I want the rebels dead!” The words came out of Karrde as a hiss. “Dead.” He turned to glare at Luke. “Can you do that? Or are you going to go the touchy-feely route and simply exile them? Tell me now, because if you plan on making them promise to stay out of Imperial space and be good boys and girls…well then…I’m going to track them down and kill them myself.”  
  
The power of Karrde’s wrath was so strong in the Force that Luke actually took a step back. “Talon, I’ll bring them to justice…no more exile.”  
  
“Justice.” The word came out scathing.  
  
“We may not execute, but we do have Imperial prisons,” Luke assured Talon. “We’ll get justice for Karrina.”  
  
Karrde turned away from Luke and gazed up at his lover floating in bacta. “Prison then.” He sighed deeply. “Sorry Luke. I didn’t mean to be harsh. I…”  
  
“You don’t have to explain yourself. You’ve been through a terrible trauma.” Luke put a comforting hand and the Talon’s shoulder. “I’ll take care of everything.”  
  
"Meanwhile," Mara said while giving her boss a disapproving look. “You have to get back to your room.” She pointed to various bandages on Talon’s arms and legs. “You need to let those bacta patches work.”  
  
“Okay,” Talon’s voice oozed with exhaustion. As he walked past Mara, she groaned while covering her eyes with her hand. “Luke can you please tie up the back of his hospital gown.”  
  
Luke chuckled when he realized the smuggler was nude under the robe and exposing his backside to anybody looking in his direction. “Hold on.” He knotted the cloth ties on the back. “There,” Luke said with a grin. “All clear, Mara.”  
  
“It’s nothing she hasn’t seen before,” Talon muttered.  
  
“What?” Luke gazed as Mara questioningly.  
  
“It’s not what you think,” she said shaking her head in disgust. “I’ve had the displeasure of seeing all of the _Wild Karrde_ crew…out of uniform at one time or another because I am apparently the only person onboard capable of locking the ‘fresher door when in use.”  
  
Karrde playfully put an elbow to Luke’s ribs. “She has the Force, you know. She knew when somebody was inside showering.”  
  
Mara was now seething. “We travel with Force blocking tree lizards!”  
  
Luke gave her a sideway glance. “Tree lizards? Is that what blocked the Force?”  
  
Karrde knitted his brow. “She never told you?” He looked back to Mara. “I’m impressed.” He winced in pain when one of his injuries flared up.  
  
“Go back to bed,” Mara pleaded with her boss. “Just get better.”  
  
He nodded as he walked to his room.  
  
When Karrde was out of hearing range, Mara turned to Luke, her eyes narrowing. “Are you going to keep your promise? Are you going to play tough with the rebels?”  
  
He met her steady gaze before looking away. “I’ll do what I must.”  
  
She didn’t press for a more detailed answer. She knew Luke didn’t want to hurt his former friends, but she also knew he was terribly disappointed that after showing the rebels mercy they repaid him with further attacks.  
  
She smiled sadly. “Okay.”  
  
“Why don’t you stay here and watch over Talon and Karrina and I’ll join my crew on the _Redeemer_.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the lips. “I’ll keep you posted on the search for the rebels.”  
  
Mara could feel Luke’s heart breaking at the thought of hunting down his friends. “I’ll do that.” She managed to hold back her tears as Luke turned and walked away.


	23. Chapter 23

**_Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Flagship Chimaera_**  
  
Luke’s father had professed that he was no longer a Sith Lord, but his intense anger during Grand Admiral Thrawn’s briefing had him questioning the veracity of his father’s statement.  
  
“Since the attack on Corellia two days ago there have been three more attacks on Imperial worlds, and you have yet to find the rebel Dreadnaught!” Vader was pacing the Grand Admiral’s briefing chamber; obviously fighting the urge to punish somebody...harshly.  
  
In the room with Emperor Vader, sitting at a long conference table, was Grand Admiral Thrawn, Commadore Vanto, and Luke. Admiral Thrawn elbows rested on the table with his fingers steepled in front of his chin. “Emperor Vader, the timing between attacks make it impossible for one ship to travel to the various locations. This was done by at least two ships, if not four.”  
  
Vader turned and fixed his gaze on the blue skin alien. “You seem quite sure of yourself.”  
  
Thrawn’s expression remained neutral. “I am confident my calculations are correct. There are no hyperspace lanes that would allow any one ship to move to all four attack sites in the time between the first and last attack.”  
  
“That would mean the Rebel Alliance was able to steal or purchase multiple war ships when you have assured me that we are on the brink of victory.” He kept his attention on the Admiral. “Tell me, Admiral Thrawn, If the rebels were able to fly directly from planet to planet outside known hyperspace lanes, could it be done?”  
  
Thrawn remained silent for a long moment before answering. “If the rebels knew a way to traverse space safely outside of a hyperspace lane, then yes…but a far more logical scenario is the rebels have acquired more ships.”  
  
“Or they acquired new allies.” Emperor Vader let that statement hang in the air, but the Admiral wasn’t taking the bait.  
  
Thrawn turned to face the Emperor fully. “Sire, if you have intelligence on any new allies of the rebels, I will endeavor to hunt them down and eliminate the threat.”  
  
Vader took a step toward the Admiral. “What if it is the Chiss that are helping the rebellion? Where would your loyalties lie then?”  
  
An indignant expression flicked over the Admiral’s face but was gone almost as soon as it appeared. “Emperor Vader, I am loyal to the Empire.”  
  
“So, you say.” Vader’s voice was deep and threatening. “An attack on all sites would be possible if a Force sensitive Chiss navigator was on board.”  
  
Thrawn’s expression remained aloof. “The Chiss Ascendancy does not believe in preemptive attacks.”  
  
“But they wouldn’t be attacking, but simply providing navigation coordinates. Is that against the Chiss rules of engagement?”  
  
Luke turned to Admiral Thrawn awaiting an answer, but the alien remained silent.  
  
“The Chiss could help the rebels move from one attack point to the next,” Vader added darkly. “Not using standard hyperspace lanes would make it difficult to track the rebels or predict where they would exit hyperspace.”  
  
“Sire, I assure you, my people are not involved in these attacks.”  
  
Vader pointed a gloved hand at the Admiral. “Our intelligence personnel have determined that the ship from the first attack most likely came from the Unknown Region.”  
  
Admiral Thrawn cleared his throat as he straightened in his chair. “The Chiss planet of Csilla is located within the unknown region, but there are hundreds of other worlds within that expanse of space. The unknown region is also the home of the Grysk Hegemony.”  
  
“Yes, the Grysk Hegemony,” Vader said acerbically. “You once told me Grysk ships numbered in the millions—enough to blot out the stars, but I have only seen a few dozen of these creatures in my lifetime. I suspect the Grysk are utilized by the Chiss the same way Tatooine moisture farmers use the threat of the mystical doomslayer to keep their children from wandering into the desert. They spread lies in order to keep the Empire out of that quadrant of space. What are the Chiss hiding in the Unknown Region?”  
  
Luke saw Thrawn’s jaw tighten. “Lord Vader, if I am no longer a trusted member of the Imperial Navy, I am quite willing to tender my resignation. Is that your wish?”  
  
Luke held his breath while waiting his father’s response. He was fairly certain his father was fishing for information and did not possess any evidence against the Admiral. Unfortunately, not having ironclad proof was never a deterrent when it came to his father Force strangling his crew members.  
  
Vader ignored the Admiral’s statement and instead lowered himself into the seat at the head of the table. “If not the Chiss, then who? Explain to me _your_ theory of the situation?”  
  
Luke sighed in relief, thankful for a de-escalation of tensions. The alien might make Luke feel uneasy, but he was by far the most brilliant commander within the Imperial Navy. He was not someone the Empire could afford to lose.  
  
“Sire, these Dreadnaughts were pre-clone war era. Could the rebels have located the Katana Fleet?”  
  
That caught Luke’s attention. “What’s the Katana Fleet?”  
  
Admiral Thrawn turned to the Supreme Commander. “About two decades before the clone wars over two-hundred Dreadnaught-class heavy cruisers disappeared. The ships were linked together with a slave circuit system, which reduced the amount of crew needed. It is believed when they were all slaved together, they made a blind jump.”  
  
Luke frowned. “How do you know that.”  
  
“We don’t!” His father answered the question. “Nobody knows what happened, only that all of the ships disappeared without a trace. Thousands of salvage teams hunted the fleet for decades, but they were never found. They most likely flew through a star.”  
  
“Or into the Unknown Region,” Admiral Thrawn proposed dryly.  
  
“There are few hyperspace lanes into the Unknown Region,” Vader pointed out. “Perhaps the Chiss government might use their special navigators to…reconnoiter the region where the ship was calculated to originate from.” He gazed at Admiral Thrawn awaiting an answer.  
  
Luke had to admire the Admiral’s aplomb; he didn’t even flinch under Darth Vader’s scrutiny. “Of course, Lord Vader. I will make an official request for assistance to the Chiss Ascendency from the Empire.”  
  
“See to it, admiral.” Vader looked at each man in the room before saying, “Dismissed.”  
  
Commodore Vanto was the first to jump out of his seat and leave the room posthaste. Admiral Thrawn rose casually and calmly. When Luke stood his father motioned for him to remain seated. Luke sat down and waited until Thrawn exited and the door slid shut behind him.  
  
“What did you sense in the Force?” Vader ask his son.  
  
Luke shrugged. “The Grand Admiral is almost impossible to read, but I can tell you Commodore Vanto was somewhat terrified and definitely did not want to be in the meeting. He also exhibited a twinge of panic when you mentioned the Chiss Navigators.”  
  
“I sensed that also,” the Emperor mused. “He was not concerned for his welfare, as much as another’s.”  
  
Luke knitted his brow. “Do you think he knows a Chiss navigator?”  
  
“The feelings he projected were similar to yours when you feared for the safety of Mara Jade.”  
  
Luke thought about it. “A romantic feeling? Do you think Vanto has an amorous relationship with a female Chiss navigator?”  
  
“All Chiss Navigators are female,” Vader explained. “And yes, I believe it is possible. He spent years in Chiss space under the orders of Grand Admiral Thrawn.”  
  
Luke gazed at his father questioningly. “Do you really think the Chiss are providing ships to the rebels?”  
  
“Possible. They may have found the Katana Fleet and led the rebels to the ships.”  
  
“Why would they do that?”  
  
“Two hundred Dreadnaughts in the hands of the rebellion could put a strain on our Navy to the point that we would be unable to fend off an attack from the Chiss.”  
  
“But they don’t believe in premeditated attacks.”  
  
“That is what the Chiss would want you to believe.”  
  
“It is what I _do_ believe,” Luke said evenly. “If the Chiss were interested in attacking they would have done so after I destroyed the Death Star. The Empire was at its lowest point then. Morale slumped and there were millions of soldiers deserting.” When his father didn’t respond Luke pressed on. “Anyway, as the Admiral pointed out, there are others out in the unknown region. If the Grysk did want to attack the Empire they could give the rebels ships and use them as mercenaries. If the rebels succeed in taking on the Empire the Grysk could then destroy the rebels and take over our galaxy. Or the Grysk are doing the attacks with those ships. That could explain the recent change of tactics.”  
  
Vader trained his attention on Luke. “What do you mean?”  
  
“The first attack on the Imperial Training Center is a good military target, but the next three were nonmilitary objectives. They were civilian targets and not factories that produced implements of war. One was a city with a major medical complex. Another was a liberal arts university, and the last one was a stadium full of thirty thousand Smash Ball fans. There is no way that Princess Leia approved these attacks. The Grysk could be carrying out these assaults on their own.”  
  
Vader made a sound that Luke interpreted as an incredulous snort. “Princess Organa is not a fool. She has to know the only way to overthrow the Empire is through guerilla warfare.”  
  
“Yes, you’re right, but she also knows she has to win over the populace and conducting what most people would consider war crimes is not going to help her cause. It will only aggravate the citizens and put pressure on us to wipe out the rebellion with extreme violence. Something else is going on. This is not her doing.”  
  
Vader stared at his son for a long moment before nodding his head. “Then you need to find and capture one of these Dreadnaughts. Then we will know who is responsible for these attacks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although most Chiss navigators are young girls, in the new Thrawn novels there was a unique adult Chiss navigator that Eli Vanto was friends with. I don't want people thinking Vanto had a relationship with a minor female.


	24. Chapter 24

**_Coronet City Medical Center, Corellia_**  
  
Mara walked past the rows of bacta tanks until she came to the one holding Lieutenant Karrina Shotts. She looked up at the seriously injured woman before casting her eyes down to where her employer sat on a small bench the hospital staff had brought in for him specifically. Visitors were not allowed in this area of the hospital; Mara was positive Luke had instructed the health care workers of the facility to accommodate Karrde in any way possible. Talon was dressed in loose, casual civilian clothing, having been discharged from the hospital the day before.  
  
He regarded Mara as she approached and managed a wane smile. “Is it time to go already?”  
  
She shook her head. “No, Aves and Chin are still doing preflight maintenance checks. I wanted to talk to you.” She sat down next to him and put a comforting hand on his knee. “If you like I can take charge of the next cargo run and you can stay here. This way you’ll be around when she wakes up.”  
  
Karrde covered her hand with his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I appreciate the offer, but the doctors said she will be in a medically induced coma for another week and then she will remain sedated while they do neural reconstruction.”  
  
“How long will that take?”  
  
He shrugged. “They aren’t sure. Maybe a week…maybe a month.” He patted her hand before standing. He moved toward the bacta cylinder his eyes never leaving his lover. “I don’t know if I really want to be here when she wakes up.”  
  
Mara frowned in confusion. “Why not?”  
  
He gave her a sideway glance. “The doctors say she might have pronounced amnesia…and I don’t want to see the look of confusion on her face when she doesn’t recognize me.”  
  
“What if she does remember?” Mara asked as she rose and joined Talon. “What if she wakes up with massive wounds and the first thing that she looks for is you…and you are nowhere to be found?”  
  
Karrde reached up and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “I doubt that’s going to happen. I’ve never been lucky in love. Something always happens. Women don’t hang around me for long.”  
  
Mara was ready to argue that fact, but she then realized Talon’s relationship with Karrina was the first one she’s seen him in. She never thought much about it before. She just assumed his career came first.  
  
“It is not like I didn’t try…especially when I was a young man,” he chuckled bleakly. “I always go into relationships hoping for something long term, but they usually end up as short, port-call flings.” He gazed as her and smiled. “You have to admit having a relationship with Skywalker and being an intra-galactic trader is no easy task. I suspect, soon enough, you will be one more woman to leave my life.”  
  
She shook her head. “Talon, I just started dating the man. This conversation is premature.”  
  
He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Perhaps.”  
  
She closed her eyes briefly, not liking to see her boss so morose. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?”  
  
“I’m sure.” Turning on his heel he moved to the exit with Mara falling into step next to him. “Make sure our cargo is secured and inventoried before we leave. I don’t want to get halfway to Ord Mantell and find out we didn’t bring the Corellian ale. Sober Deepdock workers are not happy workers.”  
  
Hearing her boss talk business again brought a faint smile to her lips. “I’ll get right on that.”  
.  
.  
.  
.  
 ** _Tafanda Bay, Ithor,_**  
  
Tafanda Bay was the capital city of Ithor. ‘ _Above Ithor’_ Luke corrected himself. The Ithorians were diehard environmentalists that considered their planet’s jungles sacred. To keep their world unspoiled, they constructed one-hundred-meter-tall herd ships that utilized huge repulsorlift engines to hover over the pristine jungle below. The Ithorian built city had everything that could be found in traditional urban areas, to include landing platforms, shops, housing, hospitals and restaurants. This was Luke’s first time on a herd ship and found himself in awe of its beauty. He wished Mara was here with him and he promised himself that they would visit the place together sometime in the future. But for now, he was to investigate the sighting of rebels in the area.  
  
He had come alone, against the advice of Commodore Vanto. Luke had argued that traveling with a group of Stormtroopers would be too conspicuous and that he was more than capable of taking care of himself. Eli Vanto had frowned deeply, but eventually acquiesced, albeit begrudgingly.  
  
Luke wanted to find the rebels, but he also didn’t want an overly aggressive trooper killing his former comrades. The destruction of civilian targets had the Imperial military outraged and bent on revenge. Luke was positive that Leia was not involved in the slaughter, but his men were of a mind of shoot first and ask questions later and he didn’t want that because he had a lot of unanswered questions.  
  
He had changed from his imperial uniform to casual clothing a tourist might wear and came to the planet in a civilian shuttle used by his intelligence division. He had taken a speeder to the main square and proceeded to walk around while reaching out with the Force. Ithor was populated by ninety-eight percent Ithorians and two percent human and near humans. This would make finding somebody like Leia and Han much easier for him.  
  
He strolled through the streets and shops for three hours before he sensed a familiar Force signature. “Wedge,” he whispered to himself as he quickly moved in the direction of his old friend. After traversing four blocks at a quick pace he finally saw the rebel pilot purchasing some food from a local vender. Wedge was wearing civilian clothing and with no visible blaster. Luke was almost shocked that he was able to walk right up to Wedge Antilles without the man looking over his shoulder once. He came up behind him and slapped an arm around his shoulder. “Hey Wedge, nice to see you,” Luke said with a smile and was shocked to realize he was being absolutely truthful…it was nice seeing his old friend again.  
  
Antilles stopped, his body stiffening. Luke could sense that he was considering running, but when he saw a couple stormtroopers patrolling the area he decided against it. His shoulders slumped as he turned to Luke. “I’m on my way out of Imperial space. I'm just here for refueling. I broke exile so I could visit Booster Terrik. He caught the Luf virus and was in intensive care.” Wedge paused and blew out a shuttered breath. “He looked after me after my parents died. I wanted to see him…I know I am banned from the Empire, but I thought it was worth the risk.”  
  
Luke dropped his arm from the man’s shoulder. He gazed at him sensing the truthfulness of his words. “Is he alright?”  
  
Wedge nodded before smiling softly. “That old pirate is hard to kill. He pulled through with little lingering effects.” The smile dropped from his lips as he looked down at the ground. “I knew I would face imprisonment if caught. I won’t give you any trouble.”  
  
“I’m not going to arrest you.” He gestured to an open bench. “I need some answers.” He took a step forward but looked back when he noticed Wedge was not following him. The dark-haired pilot gazed at Luke while shaking his head. “You might as well arrest me. I’m not going to give up any rebel secrets.”  
  
Luke turned and faced the man. “I just want to know if Leia is responsible for the recent attacks on civilian targets?”  
  
Antilles’ body relaxed visibly. “No, she has nothing to do with those attacks. I will tell you who is doing it because I am absolutely horrified by what happened.”  
  
Luke breathed a little easier knowing Leia was not responsible for the latest atrocities. He motioned for Wedge to follow him and both men took a seat on the public bench. “Who’s responsible for those war crimes?”  
  
“The rebellion split into two factions,” Wedge said as he opened up the bag of pastries he had purchased from the vendor and offered Luke a sugared fried dough stick. Luke waved off the food and gestured for his friend to resume his story. Wedge took a small bite before continuing. “Leia and a relative newcomer and fellow Alderaan survivor named Ewon Klanto, butted heads when it came to how to go about overthrowing the Empire. Klanto thought Leia was going easy on the Empire because of her friendship with you. Normally Leia would stave off anybody trying to usurp the leadership role, but Klanto had gotten his hands on three Dreadnaughts with full crews. He talked about half of the rebels into joining him. His group is called _The Resistance_.” Wedge took another bite of his lunch before looking over to Luke. “I didn’t join…and after he went on a killing rampage, I’m glad I didn’t.”  
  
“Do you know where I can find him and his Dreadnaughts?”  
  
“No, I don't.” Wedge finished his snack and closed up the bag. “Believe me, Luke, I would help you find him if I could. He has a _join me or become my enemy_ mentality. He dislikes Leia and her loyal rebels almost as much as the Empire.”  
  
Luke ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Do you know where he got the Dreadnaughts?”  
  
“No, the man came out of nowhere. We can’t even prove he is from Alderaan. Leia thinks he made that up to garner sympathy…and also to hide his real identity. It is hard to prove he is not an Alderaanian with all of their records destroyed along with the planet.”  
  
“True,” Luke said softly, feeling the sins of his father pressing down on him.  
  
There was an awkward silence before Wedge spoke again. “Luke, I want you to know that I am no longer with the Rebellion. I can see the good that you are doing. Leia is so consumed with revenge for the destruction of her home planet that she can’t see straight.” He sighed deeply before continuing. “It didn’t help when you joined the Empire on Bespin…she felt betrayed. You abandoned her and Han was taken by the bounty hunter. It took months before Han was able to escape and return to the rebellion.”  
  
Luke ran a frustrated hand over his face before gazing into his friend’s eyes. “Wedge if you see Leia, please tell her I didn’t join Vader on Bespin. I was captured and held prisoner by my father.”  
  
Wedge’s eyes widened. “Did he torture you?”  
  
Luke smiled and shook his head. “No, but after months of in depth talks he convinced me that he wanted to change…he wanted a relationship with his son…and he would do anything to make that happen. The first thing I ask for was Han’s release. It was Vader’s men that stormed Jabba’s Palace and made sure Han was _‘discovered’_ by friendly locals that released him from the carbonite. The next thing I demanded was the governmental reforms.”  
  
“I knew it.” Wedge grinned. “I never fully understood your defection…until now…but I knew there was no way I could have misjudged you so drastically.”  
  
Luke drew in a deep breath. “I hope Leia will one day realize she misjudged me.”  
  
“I’m sure she will, Luke. She has to have noticed the changes in the government. We may still live in a totalitarian régime, but it is no longer tyrannical. For the first time in my life we have relative peace without fear.” He reached out and put a hand on Luke’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You are doing a great job.”  
  
“Thanks.” Luke smiled at his friend. “Would you consider joining me. We can use some good pilots. I can guarantee you an Imperial Pardon.”  
  
Wedge dropped his arm and averted his eyes. “I wouldn’t mind the pardon, but I can’t put on an Imperial uniform.” He shook his head slowly. “Sorry, I just can’t.”  
  
Luke was disappointed but not surprised. “I understand.” He stood and offered the man his hand. Wedge rose and shook it without hesitation. “It is good to see you, Wedge. I really miss my friends in the rebellion. You were like my family.” He released his grip and dropped his hand. “If you find out anything about Klanto just make an anonymous report.”  
  
“I will.” Wedge glanced over to a couple stormtroopers walking down the street. “I should go before anybody else recognizes me.”  
  
“Thanks for the information, Wedge.” Luke watched his friend quickly move down the road before disappearing into a crowd of Ithorians. He sighed sadly as a feeling of loss and loneliness washed over him. He missed his friends.  
  
He turned and made his way back to his shuttle. He needed to get the information about Ewon Klanto to Imperial Intelligence and let his father know they were looking for more than one Dreadnaught.


	25. Chapter 25

**_Star Destroyer Redeemer_**  
  
“We have run the name Ewon Klanto through all our intel databases and haven’t come up with anything.” Commodore Vanto took a seat across from Luke in the ship’s ready room. “It is possible that Klanto never applied for an off-world visa through regular channels. His name is not found on any Republic or Imperial flight permits or ship manifests. Either he’s using an alias, or he was off planet unlawfully, or…” Vanto hesitated slightly. “Or you were lied to by your informant.”  
  
Luke drummed his fingers on the table he was sitting at. “I wasn’t lied to.”  
  
Vanto leaned back in his chair as he regarded his Supreme Commander. “Sir, I assume your contact was a former friend, but that doesn’t mean they are going to help the Empire. They could be feeding you misinformation.”  
  
“I am a Force adept that can tell if a person is lying.” He glared at Vanto. “Just because I don’t go around Force strangling crewmembers doesn’t mean I don’t have the same abilities as my father.”  
  
“Sir, I didn’t mean to question your Force abilities…I guess I am just unaware of what those abilities are…can you read minds?”  
  
Luke shook his head. “I can sense emotions. I can usually tell when a person is being dishonest. Or when they are panicked. For example, my father and I both sensed your anxiety and protectiveness when we last discussed Chiss Navigators. My father speculated that you might have a romantic interest in a navigator…or were we wrong about that?”  
  
Luke felt a spike of unease from his officer. “Sir, it is not what you think. I am not courting a prepubescent girl.”  
  
That was not the response Luke expected. “What? What are you talking about?”  
  
Commodore Vanto blanched slightly realizing he said too much. “Umm, I ah, I just assumed that your father might have mentioned that Chiss Navigators are almost always young, very young, girls.”  
  
“He mentioned they were female, but nothing about the age.”  
  
Vanto ran a hand over his face in frustration. “I am friends with an adult Chiss navigator. She was an adult when I met her. She somehow managed to keep her gift of foresight way past the age of puberty. We are not in a romantic relationship. She is a friend.”  
  
Luke smiled knowingly. “But you would like to be more than friends.”  
  
Vanto sighed deeply. “What I would like has no bearing on the situation. At this time, she is the most experienced navigator within the Chiss Ascendancy, and they do not wish for that to change.” He blushed slightly as he cleared his throat. “The Chiss leadership fear any deviations to her personal life might interfere with her navigating abilities. For that reason, she must remain…chaste.”  
  
Luke thought about it for a second before understanding. “Oh, they are afraid she might lose her particular Force ability if she loses her virginity. How does she feel about this?”  
  
Vanto groaned in embarrassment. “She was hoping her powers would begin to wane… soon. Unfortunately, she’s approaching thirty and her navigational abilities have yet to diminish.”  
  
“Oh,” Luke regretted bringing up the subject. “I’m sorry…for both of you.”  
  
“Thank you.” Vanto looked down at the table and frowned. “Sir, I wish to assure you that she, nor the Chiss government, are involved in these recent attacks. I lived with the Chiss for years. They absolutely would not do a preemptive attacked. It is something deeply ingrained within their society.”  
  
“I believe you…and the news that there are three Dreadnaughts means my father will probably drop his theory that Chiss navigators are assisting the Rebels.”  
  
“Perhaps.” Vanto didn’t sound very convinced. “We still need to find out where the Dreadnaughts came from. Otherwise your father might accuse the Chiss government of supplying the vessels to the rebels.”  
  
“Resistance,” Luke corrected. “The group with the Dreadnaughts had split from the _Rebel Alliance_ and call themselves _The Resistance_.”  
  
“Yes, of course. _The Resistance_ ,” Vanto corrected himself as he stood. “If you will excuse me, I must confer with Grand Admiral Thrawn to see if he has any updates on the search for the _**Resistance**_ Dreadnaughts.”  
  
Luke dismissed Commodore Vanto with a nod. He wanted this search over with. The faster they took care of this _Resistance_ problem the faster he’d get back to Mara.  
  
 ** _Ord Mantell_**  
  
“You sure you don’t want to come with me to purchase cargo?” Mara asked Karrde as she wrapped her blaster belt around her waist. “I could use the backup. The Correll crew can sometimes be sketchy.”  
  
Talon chuckled under his breath while leaning against the ship’s bulkhead. “It's nothing you can’t handle.”  
  
Mara frowned at her employer, not wanting to leave him alone. His depression over Karrina’s injuries intensified the longer he was away from her. She wished he stayed on Corellia. “What are you going to do while I’m haggling with the Correll boys?”  
  
Talon blew out a breath before gazing at his second-in-command. “I have a full day of moping about and feeling sorry for myself, followed by excessive drinking and maybe eating food that is definitely not good for me.”  
  
She laughed feeling a little better about Karrde’s mood. “Is it okay if I take Chin or Aves?”  
  
“Take Chin. Aves is going on an errand for me.”  
  
Mara raised a brow waiting for Karrde to explain, but he remained silent for an awkward moment. Eventually he motioned for her to leave. “Go, go. Take Chin and stay alert for fraud. I heard somebody here is moving counterfeit Andoan Wine.”  
  
“I’m always alert.” She walked down the hall and pounded on a cabin door. “You’re coming with me, Chin.” She turned to her boss before exiting “You sure?”  
  
Karrde gave a forced smile. “Yeah, I’m sure. I have things to do.”  
  
 ** _Millennium Falcon_**  
  
“He’s not coming.” Leia sat down across from Han at the Falcon’s galley table and took a sip of her caf.  
  
She had offered him a cup of her hot drink, but Han wasn’t much of a caf imbiber. It made him jittery when he wanted to be relaxed…and that was the excuse he used when he poured his third Whiskey Slash, a mixture of Johrian Whiskey and citrus juice over ice. He lifted his glass to his lips and gave Leia his classic lopsided grin. “The Smuggler’s Guild have very strict rules about these things. If you lodge a complaint against another member of the guild they have to reply in person and violence is not tolerated. If he doesn’t show up unarmed and ready to parley, he’ll risk getting disbarred.”  
  
Leia didn’t look convinced. “Won’t you get expelled from the Guild for making a false report?”  
  
Han sulked as he set his drink down on the table. “It wasn’t a false report. We purchased cargo and we were denied delivery.”  
  
“He’s going to suspect a trap.”  
  
Han shook his head. “It was an anonymous complaint.”  
  
“Anonymous,” Leia scoffed. “The Millennium Falcon is one of the most recognizable ships in the galaxy. Once he enters the docking bay it won’t be anonymous for long.”  
  
“True.” Han gave a halfhearted shrug. “He’ll hear us out, though. He’s on planet. He requested the meeting to be done here. If he didn’t intend on rendezvousing, he would have ignored the complaint and faced Guild member termination.” At that moment, the Falcon’s exterior proximity sensor alarmed. Han drew his datapad out of his pocket and deactivated the alarm before pulling up the image from the dorsal cameras. He smiled widely. “He’s here.” He scrutinized the image as his smile slipped from his face. “Boy, he looks pissed.”  
  
Leia rolled her eyes. “You expected him to be happy?”  
  
Han rose out of his seat and walked to the back of the ship. “No, but he looks more furious than is warranted.” He pushed a button lowering the rear boarding ramp. When the ramp was fully extended Han waited, and waited. Eventually he called down to his visitor. “Are you coming up?”  
  
Talon Karrde glared at Han for a long moment, his jaw tight and eyes narrowed. “So, you can have your Wookiee tear my arms off?”  
  
“Chewie is on Kashyyyk. He’s celebrating Life Day.” Han motioned to the inside of his ship. “It is only me and Leia here.”  
  
Karrde glowered at Han for a few minutes before walking up the ramp. “Shouldn’t you be blowing up orphanages or senior citizen assisted living facilities? Or are you going to go after another Smash Ball stadium?”  
  
Leia walked up behind Han. “We had nothing to do with that! That was not the Rebel Alliance.”  
  
The fire in Karrde’s eyes dimmed slightly. “Then who was it?”  
  
“Ewon Klanto, the new leader of an organization called _The Resistance.”_  
  
“It’s similar to the Rebellion,” Han said drolly as he went to fetch Karrde a drink, “but with three fully crewed warships,”  
  
Leia led Karrde to the galley and motioned toward an empty seat. “He joined the Rebellion for a short time, but after our first combined attack, he left, taking many of our best pilots with him. He claims he is an Alderaan refugee…but he’s not.”  
  
Karrde eyes narrowed slightly before he sat down on the proffered seat. Leia slid into the booth seat across from him as Han remained standing near the liquor cabinet. “If he is not an Alderaan refugee, then who is he?”  
  
“I am fairly certain he is an Imperial.”  
  
Talon gave an incredulous laugh. “Why would an Imperial kill his own people?”  
  
“We think Darth Vader sent him. I figure it was to disrupt the Rebel Alliance and to get the people to turn against us.” Leia fiddled with her cup of caf before taking a quick sip. “We also think it is a form of manipulation to keep Luke from returning to the rebellion.”  
  
Karrde shook his head in disbelief. “Do you have any proof of this?”  
  
“No,” Leia admitted. “But where else could three fully manned ships come from? It’s not like there are a bunch of Dreadnaughts floating around the galaxy for the taking.”  
  
Han was bringing Karrde a drink when he noticed the smuggler reacted sharply when he heard the word Dreadnaught. “It has to be the Imperials,” Han said as he sat the drink down in front of Talon. “…unless you know another place to acquire Old Republic era Dreadnaughts.”  
  
Karrde accepted the drink and downed half of the cocktail in one gulp before answering. “I don’t know where they acquired ships like that.” He finished the drink and gazed at Han and Leia. “Why did you call for this meeting?”  
  
Han brought the whiskey bottle over and refilled Karrde's glass. "We need your help."  
  
Talon took another sip of his drink before looking at the couple expectantly. "Help doing what?"  
  
“We know Vader is manipulating Luke," Leia began. "All these government reforms may look great now, but it won’t last. Darth Vader is grooming Luke to become a Sith Lord. Darth Vader obviously sent Klanto to join the Rebellion so when he went on his killing spree it would damage the name of the Rebel Alliance. He may call his group _The Resistance_ , but in the minds of the citizens of the Empire we are all terrorists. Luke can’t afford to go easy of the Resistance…not after the war crimes Klanto committed. He’ll have to crush the Resistance, and the Rebel Alliance along with it, if he’s to remain Supreme Commander.”  
  
Karrde waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t even think your friend likes being second-in-command of the Empire. He won’t go all ' _Tarkin'_ to remain in power.”  
  
Leia heaved a sigh. “Luke wouldn’t do it to remain in power, but he will do it to make sure his reforms stay in place. Darth Vader didn’t suddenly become a benevolent dictator. By allowing Luke to institute reforms he is simply raising the consequences when it comes to Luke not towing the Imperial line. If Luke doesn’t squash the insurgency, then there is a chance that his father will revert back to blowing up planets.”  
  
“This is all one big mindkriff!” Han said adamantly. “Luke is being influenced by the very best that is why we need your help getting him away from Vader.”  
  
Karrde let out a sharp laugh. “And how in the nine Corellian hells do you expect me to accomplish that feat?”  
  
Leia pointed to the cargo bay. “We still have the stasis cylinder. We know Luke is romantically involved with your second-in-command…so your crew has access to him. If Luke is in stasis, he will be safe while we concentrate our attacks on Imperial City. We need to take out Darth Vader.”  
  
Karrde spread his hands out in front of him. “And then what? Luke becomes Emperor?”  
  
Leia’s gaze dropped. “No,” she said softly. “A Force-adept can never be allowed to rule the galaxy. The danger of turning to the darkside is too great.”  
  
Karrde looked confused. “So, are you going to keep him in stasis forever? I thought he was your friend?”  
  
“He is our friend,” Leia insisted, “and he won’t be in stasis forever. Once we kill Vader and reestablish the senate, we’ll let him go.”  
  
Karrde gave a scathing laugh. “That might take decades.”  
  
“Hopefully not.” Leia chewed on her lower lip. “But, yes, it may.”  
  
“This is ridiculous.” Talon stood while giving Leia a hard look. “You admitted to knowing Mara Jade has a romantic interest in Luke. Why would you think anyone of the _Wild Karrde_ crew would help you imprison Skywalker?”  
  
“Because we’re trying to keep him safe,” Leia insisted.  
  
“He’ll be safe if you stop rebelling.” Talon scoffed at the outrageousness of the conversation. “The government you once rebelled against is no more. Luke made that happen. He brought about a new galactic order and you’re just pissed that it isn’t exactly what you envisioned.” Karrde moved to the exit but was stopped short by Leia’s words.  
  
“Another step and I’ll shoot.”  
  
Karrde halted, his hands clenched in anger. “The Smuggler’s Guild forbids violence during parley.”  
  
“I’m not part of the Smuggler’s Guild,” Leia pointed out. “And you won’t be harmed…we’ll just stun you…Mara will search for her boss and, knowing Luke, he will offer to help…that’s when we’ll get him.”  
  
Karrde raised his hands and slowly turned around to face the Rebel leader. “Aren’t you worried that Darth Vader or his men will search for his son like they did the first time he was captured?”  
  
Han moved to stand next Leia, his drink still in hand. “We’re counting on it. Luke is our bait to kill the Emperor.” The smuggler chuckled. “Vader used me and Leia to capture Luke. We figure it is only fair for us to use Luke to capture and kill Vader.”  
  
“You two are crazy,” Karrde hissed.  
  
“You’d be crazy too,” Leia said coldly while keeping the blaster aimed at Karrde, “if you were forced to watch your planet and everybody you ever loved die in front of your eyes.”  
  
“Maybe.” Karrde sighed deeply. “But you are wrong about Luke and you are wrong about me.”  
  
Leia’s brow knitted in confusion. “How so?”  
  
“First of all, Luke is not being manipulated by Darth Vader and second, I’m an Imperial Trader and no longer part of the Smuggler’s Guild.” Karrde suddenly dropped down flat on the deck as two blaster bolts whizzed over his head, hitting the couple squarely in their torsos. As the two rebel leaders crumbled to the deck Karrde slowly stood and turned to the shooter. “Nice work, Aves.” He walked over and examined the prone bodies. “I can’t believe they’d believe I’d come to an anonymous Guild confab without any backup.”  
  
“I can’t believe they were going to abduct you.”  
  
“I can believe it…and their plan had some merit. Vader and Skywalker are the most guarded men in the galaxy. If I went missing Mara is sure to look for me and Skywalker would probably accompany her. If they managed to capture Skywalker, I don’t doubt Vader would come looking for him. I’m just not sure how they expected to hold two Force-users or how they planned on taking on Darth Vader.”  
  
“I doubt they knew Mara was a force-adept,” Aves offered. “Maybe they were lying about putting Skywalker in stasis. They may have planned on killing you, Mara and Skywalker. They then claim Skywalker is alive to draw Vader into an ambush. That would be the safest approach.” Aves walked over to the blaster lying next to Leia. He picked up and inspected the weapon. His eyes went wide before he handed it over to Karrde. “It was set on kill.”  
  
Karrde looked at the weapon and gave a grunt. “I have a feeling the Princess was improvising by pulling the blaster. I would like to think she would have switched to stun before firing.” He slipped the DL-44 blaster into his waistband. “But I may be wrong. She did admit the Rebel Alliance worked with the Resistance during the first combined attack…I am fairly certain that means the attack on Corellia.”  
  
“And on Karrina,” Aves said softly.  
  
“Yeah,” Talon looked up to his communications officer. “Can you fly this ship?”  
  
“Sure, boss.”  
  
“Good. We’ll clean up this mess and then you’ll fly the ship to Myrkr and store it in our ray shielded hanger. I don’t need the Rebel Alliance coming after us.”  
  
  



	26. Chapter 26

_**Star Destroyer Redeemer** _

After his briefing with Commodore Vanto, Luke returned to his quarters only to find a frantic Force ghost pacing in his sitting area. The flickering image of Obi-Wan Kenobi accosted Luke as soon as the door shut behind him.

“Have you attacked the rebels?”

Luke stopped and glared at the specter. “I thought I asked you to leave me alone.” He sat down on his couch and pulled off his leather boots. “But to answer your question, no, I haven’t attacked the rebels. I would have to find them before I could do that…and it wouldn’t be the Rebel Alliance, but the Resistance that I would attack.”

The Jedi Master cursed under his breath. “Could somebody within the Empire have attacked the Rebels without your knowledge?”

Luke shrugged. “Anything can happen. A rogue stormtrooper or perhaps an attacked ordered by my father that I am unaware of.” He leaned back into the couch cushions and regarded the apparition. “Why do you ask?”

Kenobi’s head dropped and Luke could feel the Force pulsate with anguish and distress. “I can no longer sense Princess Leia through the Force.”

That statement got Luke’s attention. He stood and took a step toward the Jedi. “What do you mean? Is she dead?”

Kenobi stared at him somberly. “That I do not know. You disappeared from the Force before…when you went missing. Perhaps the same thing happened to her.”

Luke threw his hands out wide. “Can’t you do a ghost recon and find her?”

“That is not how the Force works!” Kenobi ran his hand through his hair in what Luke perceived as a useless gesture. “It is called the Flow of the Force for a reason. It moves through time and space. When a Jedi becomes one with the Force, they flow with it until their consciousness dissipates and becomes part of the collective cognizance. It is difficult to retain one’s consciousness and to do so one must be tethered to a living person.” His eyes bored into Luke’s. “And that person is you. My connection to you binds me here and prevents me from losing my conscious cohesion or disappearing into the veil of the Force. I can't go wandering off searching the galaxy.”

“Great.” Luke bit his bottom lip in frustration. “Why can you sense Leia anyway? She isn’t a Force user.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to say something but hesitated slightly. After a short pause he continued. “She is not as strong as you, but she is a Force adept. Luke…she is your sister.”

The Supreme Commander stared at the Jedi slack jawed for a long moment before laughing. “You don’t have to lie to me to protect Leia. She is not part of the organization that I'm hunting.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Oh sure,” Luke laughed. “So, you’re saying I rescued my sister from a Sith Lord who coincidently was my father?”

“It’s true,” Obi-Wan insisted. “I was with your mother when she gave birth to twins. She died shortly after. Yoda instructed me to give Leia to Queen and Senator Organa and you to your family on Tatooine.”

Luke chuckled again but then stopped when he noticed the look of pain on the old Jedi Master. “You’re not kidding, are you?” He took a deep breath and reached out with the Force in an attempt to determine the truth. After a moment Luke’s eyes went wide with understanding. “I believe you, but why didn’t you tell me? I can accept your reasoning about my father, but why did you keep me away from my sister?”

“It was for everybody’s protection. Vader didn’t realize his wife was carrying twins, therefore, if he found one of you, then, at least, the other would be safe from him.”

Luke glared at the Jedi dumbfounded. “It was bad enough that I thought you were using me as bait to draw my father into a trap, but now I realize I was also the sacrificial twin. If Vader found me and you weren’t able to kill my father, then at least he wouldn’t be looking for a missing child anymore. Leia would be safeguarded.”

“What?! No!” Kenobi protested. “You are seeing conspiracies where there is none.”

“Then why leave me on that dunghole of a planet? Why couldn’t I have gone with Leia? Why was I denied the chance to grown up with my sister?”

“It was best that you were separated. If one fell to the darkside then the other twin wouldn’t be lured to follow.”

“Then why tell me now? If you are so certain that I am going dark…then why tell me now?”

Obi-Wan looked at him sadly. “Because she is either dead or missing and somehow blocked from the Force. If she is alive, she needs help and you are the only person that I can communicate with that has the resources to find her. Will you look for her?”

“Of course, I’ll look for her.” Luke reached up and massaged his temples where a migraine was beginning to form. “Kriff! I’m so relieved Han got the girl because for a while I thought Leia and I might become a couple.” He glared at the ghost angrily. “I really hope you would have intervened if I got more than a kiss from her!”

When the spirit didn’t answer immediately, Luke shuddered. “Ewww…this is so kriff’n disturbing.” He pointed a finger at the Jedi. “You had to know I had a crush on her.”

“Luke, that no longer of any relevance. You need to locate your sister. Find out if your father captured or killed her.” As Kenobi began to fade away Luke heard him say, “Find her.”

Luke dropped back down to his couch while heaving a loud sigh. “Great. Now I have to find three Dreadnaughts and a sister.”


	27. Chapter 27

**_Wild Karrde_ , Ord Mantell**  
  
“Admit it,” Chin grinned at Mara as they walked up the _Wild Karrde’s_ boarding ramp. “You used a Jedi Mind Trick on the Correll boys, didn’t you?”  
  
Her green eyes narrowed as she gave him a frigid glare. “I did _not_ use the Force to get them to lower their price. That would be unethical.”  
  
Chin gave a soft snort of disbelief. “When did you start worrying about ethics?”  
  
“When we became Imperial traders. We now have rules to follow.”  
  
Chin chuckled. “In other words, you don’t want to disappoint your Imperial boyfriend.”  
  
Frustrated and annoyed she shook her head. “I don’t want to put him in a position where he is in a continuous state of pardoning us for Imperial indiscretions.”  
  
“Ha!” Chin grinned furiously. “I noticed you didn’t deny he’s your boyfriend.”  
  
She sighed softly. “There is no use denying the obvious.”  
  
“What’s obvious?”  
  
Mara turned to see her boss walking out of the ship’s flight deck. “My relationship with Skywalker.”  
  
“Ah,” Karrde muttered seemingly uninterested. “Inform me when the cargo arrives and it gets properly stowed. We’ll leave as soon as that’s done.”  
  
“You got it boss.” Chin grabbed a drink out of the galley cooling unit before walking down to the base of the boarding ramp to wait for the shipment delivery.  
  
Mara looked around the ship. “Where’s Aves?”  
  
Karrde made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “I told him to take a commercial transport back to Myrkr and rendezvous with us on Kuat with one of our mid-size shuttles. We have a split shipment with a time crunch.”  
  
His response gave Mara pause. Not because what he said was outside the norm, but because she could sense he was lying about something. Her hesitation didn’t go unnoticed by Karrde.  
  
His blue eyes locked on to hers as he asked, “Is there a problem?”  
  
She knew there was a problem, but she was also aware that her employer disliked her use of the Force to spy on his inner emotions. “No problem, and if there was something wrong, I am sure you would let me know…if you needed my help that is.”  
  
He gave her a knowing look. “Yes, I would.” He turned and moved to his cabin. “Let me know when we are ready to depart.”  
  
“Will do.” She walked down the boarding ramp to wait with Chin. She knew Talon was lying about something, but he was also truthful when he said he’d tell her if he needed her assistance.  
.  
.  
.  
Karrde closed his cabin door behind him and sat down heavily on his bunk. He hated keeping things from Mara, but he knew, whether she admitted it or not, that she was an intelligence conduit to the supreme commander. They had a bond and he doubted she could keep anything from Skywalker, even if she wanted to. Whatever she knew, Luke would eventually find out.  
  
Although Han Solo and Princess Leia didn’t appear to have any reservations when it came to capturing Luke Skywalker, the Supreme Commander obviously was protective of Han and Leia. Karrde wasn’t sure how Luke would react when he found out what Karrde did to his former Rebel friends, and he couldn’t afford to get on the wrong side of the Imperials, especially since he left the Smuggler’s Guild. It was best to keep things quiet.  
  
 **Star Destroyer _Redeemer_**  
  
Luke walked over to his cabin's galley, opened up a bottle of wine and poured himself a full glass before he sat down on his couch and took a long sip. As he finished his drink he heaved a sigh. He was deeply disturbed over Obi-Wan’s revelation that Leia was his sister and the fact that she was missing left him in an emotional turmoil.  
  
This entire situation was not fair, and he was furious that he’d been lied to all his life. He was separated from his sister shortly after birth. His Aunt and Uncle lied to him about his father’s identity. Obi-Wan told him a deceptive story about Darth Vader murdering his father. The only people he truly trusted now was his father and Mara Jade: a Sith Lord and a former assassin. He chuckled darkly as the irony of the situation had not escaped him.  
  
Obi-Wan could have been lying about Leia being his sibling, but Luke sensed the truthfulness of Ben Kenobi’s words through the Force. Princess Leia was his sister and now she was missing, both physically and also through the Force. For the last two days he preoccupied himself with finding his twin sister. He ordered the Empire’s Intelligence division to intensify their efforts to find the rebel leader, but so far she hadn’t surfaced on any public surveillance vids.  
  
He considered telling his father, but that would necessitate revealing how he acquired the information. He wasn’t sure how Darth Vader would take the news that his arch nemesis was haunting Luke. His father already believed Kenobi had turned his mother against him. Luke was positive his father would immediately believe the Jedi Master was now trying to do the same with his son. Luke couldn’t risk any mistrust coming between them. The longevity of his recent government reforms depended on his father’s good will. It was imperative that he maintained a friendly relationship with his father.  
  
No, he wouldn’t mention any of this to Vader for now. He needed to find the Princess. He was working on the presumption that she wasn’t dead, therefore that meant the Force was being blocked…and he knew of only one way to block the Force…with what Mara called ‘ _Force-blocking tree lizards’_.  
  
Could Leia be traveling with those creatures? Was she on Myrkr? Talon Karrde might have some information that would help Luke, but he hesitated to contact him. Luke really didn’t want to explain why he was searching for Leia. Mara had already expressed jealously over his friendship with the Princess and the last thing he wanted to do was aggravate the woman that he dearly loved...especially so soon after the start of their relationship. He could tell Mara that Leia was his sister, but that would lead to more questions and then he would end up explaining how he was being haunted by a Jedi Master.  
  
His best bet was to find Han and see if he knew Leia’s whereabouts. The most reasonable avenue for that line of investigation was to contact another smuggler and that brought him back to Talon Karrde…and that meant he needed a good story for wanting to locate Solo that didn’t involve Leia.  
  
“The dreadnaughts,” Luke whispered to himself. He would ask for information on locating Han in hopes of discovering the location of the dreadnaughts.  
  
He moved to his desk and keyed in Karrde’s private comm number into his holoprojector transceiver. After a few minutes the imaged of Talon Karrde appeared.  
  
“Supreme Commander,” Karrde looked at him warily. “How can I help you?”  
  
Luke straightened in his seat and gave a forced smile. “Hello, Talon. I was wondering if you could help me find Han Solo. Are you still in the Smuggler’s Guild?”  
  
Karrde went slackjawed for a long moment before swallowing hard. “No, I quit the Guild. Why are you looking for Solo?”  
  
“I...um…I am hoping he could provide me with the current location of the dreadnaught that attacked Corellia.”  
  
Karrde’s brow furrowed. “Why would a Rebel reveal to you that information?”  
  
 _‘Why indeed,’_ Luke thought, realizing he was really bad when it came to duplicity. “Han’s a good man. I’m sure he doesn’t condone the recent attacks on civilian targets. Have you seen him recently? Do you know where I can find him?”  
  
Karrde looked uncomfortable with the conversation. “I can’t help you. I’m an Imperial Trader. I no longer associate with rebels.”  
  
Luke sighed deeply. “Talon, I’m not accusing you of being a traitor. I just want to know if you have seen Han Solo since Myrkr.”  
  
Talon’s face hardened. “I can’t help you and even if I could there is no way Han Solo would help you find those Dreadnaughts.”  
  
That last word caught Luke’s attention. Only Imperial Intelligence knew there was more than one ship conducting the attacks. Luke hadn’t told Mara, so Talon shouldn’t be privy of that information.  
  
“Dreadnaughts,” Luke said slowly. “Like in more than one?”  
  
Luke watched Karrde closely and thought he saw the man flinch ever so slightly. Talon straightened his shoulders and maintained eye contact with Luke. “I haven’t confirmed the information, but my various sources indicate there are three.”  
  
“And when were you going to get around to telling me that?” Luke exclaimed, pretending this was the first he heard of this information. “You are an Imperial citizen and are part of the Imperial Trade League. As a member of the League, you have a legal obligation to report that type of information in a prompt manner.” Luke blew out a breath and looked at the man sternly. “You of all people, I would think would want to cooperate with the government in order to find the people responsible for the Corellia attack.”  
  
Talon’s eyes lowered and Luke heard him mutter a profanity under his breath. When he looked up, he said, “I’m an information broker and a good one. I always confirm my information prior to dissemination.”  
  
Luke ran a frustrated hand over his face. “Talon, I can understand you doing that when it comes to selling information, but I don’t have any problem running down any leads, even if they are just rumors.” Luke paused and focused his attention on Karrde. “Or were you planning on selling that information to me?” Luke’s voice took on an hard edge. “I thought we were friends. But are you actually saying you were going to sell to me information about the people who attacked you and Karrina?”  
  
“No, no,” Talon threw his hands up in exasperation. “I just found out and was planning on telling you. Wanting to confirm information is an old habit that is hard to break.” He squared his shoulders and gave Luke and unflinching gaze. “I heard there were three Dreadnaughts and they are not under the control of the Rebel Alliance, but an organization called The Resistance run by a man called Ewon…” Talon hesitated in thought.  
  
“Klanto,” Luke supplied.  
  
Karrde nodded. “Yes, that’s the name.”  
  
“That confirms what I have been hearing.”  
  
“Luke, there was one part of the story that maybe you can confirm. There were rumors that the Dreadnaughts were old…probably pre-clone war era. Do you know the color of their hulls?”  
  
Luke chuckled. “If you are asking if their hulls were black…then yes, they are. I know what you’re thinking. Could they be part of the Katana fleet? Grand Admiral Thrawn thought they might, but we are talking about a fleet that hasn’t been seen in over fifty years. They probably made a blind jump into a blackhole, otherwise somebody would have found them already.”  
  
Talon’s eyes widened. “Luke, the Katana fleet was massive! Two hundred Dreadnaughts!” He paused, collecting his thoughts. “If the Resistance did find the fleet, why would they only employ three ships?”  
  
Luke shrugged, not knowing the answer to that. “It is possible that this new resistance leader could only outfit a crew large enough for three ships. He might be trying to recruit new fighters to man more ships.”  
  
“If the Resistance found the fleet, perhaps they are using the fleet location as a base of operations.” Talon ran a hand over his beard. “And that means, if you find the fleet, you may find the Resistance….and the people responsible for the attack on Corellia.”  
  
Luke sighed deeply. “Unfortunately, if anybody knew the whereabouts of the fleet, I doubt they would reveal the location to the Empire. The black-market value of those ships would make a person a trillionaire. If they report their position to the Empire, they would only get a fraction of the value in the form of a finder’s fee.”  
  
“A finder’s fee?” Karrde gave Luke a curious look. “What type of finder’s fee?”  
  
Luke shrugged. “It is usually only one to five percent of the actual value of the salvage.”  
  
“Okay,” Karrde said while closing his eyes in concentration. “Even if it was one percent of the value. If the fleet is worth a trillion credits isn’t one percent of a trillion…ten billion credits?”  
  
Luke was confused as to why Talon went down this tangent. “To be honest, Talon, math was never my favorite subject. It’s either ten billion or a billion. I’d have to run the numbers through a calculator program. What does it matter?”  
  
Talon didn’t answer right away. It appeared he was having an anxiety attack. He took a few calming breaths before he spoke again. “Luke, are you saying the first person to report the location of the Katana fleet to the Empire will immediately become a billionaire?”  
  
“Ah, yes.” He narrowed his eyes as he stared at the holoprojection of Karrde. “Talon…do you know the location of the Katana Fleet?”  
  
Karrde didn’t answer as the blood appeared to drain from his face. The man was previously standing but was now slumped against the wall of what appeared to be his cabin.  
  
Before Luke could say anything he heard a pounding on Karrde's cabin door and then the sound of somebody entering the room. A second later he saw Mara Jade rushing to Talon’s side.  
  
“Talon? What’s wrong?”  
  
Karrde appeared shaky on his feet and Mara helped her boss to his cot. It was then that Mara noticed the hyperwave transceiver was on. “Luke?” She looked back to her boss and then back to the image of her lover. “What’s going on?”  
  
“I don’t know. We were talking about the Katana fleet and he suddenly got ill.”  
  
Karrde reached up and touched the sleeve of Mara’s flight suit. “Can you get me some water?”  
  
Mara nodded and rushed from the cabin. Karrde looked over to the transceiver and said, “Luke, I want to discuss this in greater detail, but not over the comm. Can you meet me on Kuat. We will be at the Capital landing port.”  
  
“Yes, of course. I’ll be there.”  
  
Luke was about to say something more, but Karrde stumbled up to his desk and disconnected the communication signal. He then moved back to his bunk as Mara rushed in with a glass of water in her hand. She looked over to the transceiver. “Did Luke disconnect?”  
  
“No, I did.” He clutched the glass in trembling hands as he raised it to his lips.  
  
“Did Luke say something that upset you or are you sick?” Her brow rose and eyes went wide. “Is it Karrina? Is she okay?”  
  
“This is not about Karrina,” Talon muttered.  
  
“Then what is it?”  
  
“I’m just feeling under the weather.” He handed her the now empty glass of water and leaned back in his bunk. “Mara, if you want answers contact Skywalker. I need some rest.”  
  
Mara bristled at being dismissed but nodded and left his room. She then walked down to the communication station. She would contact Luke and get some answers.


	28. Chapter 28

**Star Destroyer _Redeemer_**

Luke was not surprised when a communication from Mara came in on his transceiver no more than a few minutes after Karrde cut contact with him.

She gave him a frosty glare before she began questioning him. “What is going on?”

He shrugged. “I simply called Karrde for help finding Han Solo. We then got into a conversation that Talon thought was best not to discuss over the transceiver…and if my hunch is correct about the information that he has in his possession…I agree with him and think we should have this conversation in person.” He could tell she didn’t like that answer. “Mara, our lines of communication are heavily encrypted, but it is not fool proof. The Rebel Alliance already hacked into our holonet communications…the Empire could have a traitor within the ranks helping them. If that is the case, then our communication system might be compromised.”

She shook her head in frustration before throwing her hands up in the air in defeat. “Alright.”

“Look at the bright side, we’ll get to see each other soon.” Luke flashed a sweet smile. “I really miss you.”

Her green eyes shone with pleasure. “I miss you too, Supreme Commander.”

He stared at her lovingly for an awkward pause before clearing his throat. “I’ll see you soon. It is best that we talk in person.”

“There are a lot of things I want to do in person,” Mara said with a smirk.

Luke could feel a blush heat his face. “I look forward to our reunion.” With that said he cut the connection. He grinned like a smitten schoolboy before the enormity of what Talon suggested returned to the forethought. If Karrde knew the location of the Katana Fleet it would be a boost to the Empire and a blow to the Resistance. If, in fact, the Resistance Dreadnaughts had come from the legendary fleet.

.

.

The straight-line distance between Ord Mantell and Kuat would have made for a short trip if there was a direct hyperspace lane between the two planets. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The _Wild Karrde_ would first have to make two small hyperspace jumps to get to the Hydian Way trade route that would lead to Kuat.

Karrde stood behind the pilot seat currently occupied by Mara Jade. “Arriving at first transfer point in one minute,” his second-in-command reported. “The second jump is calculated and ready to go on arrival.”

When they exited hyperspace, they were surprised to find themselves surrounded by dark hulled Dreadnaughts.

“Evasive action!” Karrde called out. “Get us out of here.”

Mara pulled back on the controls to make the jump, but the ship engines groaned, refusing to move.

“Kriff! They caught us in a tractor beam.” She reversed sub-light engines in an attempt to break free.

“Chin,” Karrde shouted to his Communications officer. “Get a distress call out to the Imperials!”

Chin frantically pushed buttons on the comm, before turning to his boss. “long-range radio frequencies have been jammed, but they have left the short-range ship-to-ship channels open.” 

Karrde gazed out of the viewport apprehensively. “They want to talk to us.” He blew out a shuttered breath. “I guess that’s a good sign. I suppose we should say hello.” He pressed the communication button. “This is the cargo freighter _Wild Karrde_. We are in the process of switching hyperspace lanes. We are carrying cargo to Kuat. We are a merchant ship carrying nonmilitary cargo.”

There was a short pause before a deep male voice responded. “This is Vice Admiral Wirriz of the Resistance’s Dreadnaught _Independence_. Cooperate and you will not be harmed. Proceed to the starboard docking bay for inspection.”

Mara and Karrde looked to each other questioningly.

Karrde muted the microphone. “They don’t have authority over us.”

“I think their twin heavy turbolaser batteries and ion cannon gives them authority,” Mara pointed out.

Apparently, Admiral Wirriz wasn’t one to wait for an answer. When the _Wild Karrde_ didn’t move a warning shot from the turbolaser encouraged compliance.

“ _Independence_ , this is Captain Talon Karrde. Hold your fire. We will obey…but can we ask what is going on?”

“Once you are on board, we will discuss your situation, Admiral Wirriz out.”

“Maybe joining the Imperial Trade League wasn’t a good idea,” Mara muttered under her breath as she maneuvered the ship to the docking bay.

“Do you think they are going to confiscate our cargo?” Chin asked.

“Probably,” Karrde said darkly. “It makes sense to pirate in order to pay for their insurgency. Hopefully they will let us keep our ship.”

Chin gazed at the huge ship filling up their viewing port. “I don’t know boss; it would be easier just to space us.”

“Don’t worry,” Karrde reassured his crew. “Worst case scenario, they take everything and strand us in an escape pod.”

Mara wasn’t as confident as her boss. She had a bad feeling about this. She didn’t know if it was the Force whispering to her or just her standard paranoia.

As they neared the starboard docking bay her anxiety increased when she noticed the area was filled with resistance members with blaster rifles aimed at them. Standing among the highly armed soldiers was a tall, red skinned Quarren, a sentient cephalopod species with prehensile tentacles surrounding their mouth and gills protruding from either side of the head. The Quarren was wearing a white admiral’s uniform and a pissed off expression on his squid-like face.

They docked, powered down the ship and gathered in the galley. Karrde addressed his crew as they lowered the boarding ramp. “Cooperate. I don’t know what they want, but we don’t need to provoke them.”

They were immediately boarded by a dozen men waving around their blasters in a menacing manner followed by their Admiral who walked directly up to Mara.

“I am Admiral Wirriz of the Resistance.” His Basic had a deep accent but with a clip articulation that suggested he had spent some time on Coruscant or another core world. “You are now my prisoners. Cooperate and you will not be harmed.”

“What?” Mara said surprised. “We’re not Imperial military.”

The Quarren cocked his head to the side. “True, but rumor has it you are someone very valuable to the Supreme Commander.”

Mara realized their run in with the Resistance was no accident. They must have sliced into the hyperspace transit authority, found their flight plan, and now was going to use the Karrde crew to draw in the Supreme Commander.

“Kriff!” Mara whispered under her breath.

The Admiral’s tentacles on the sides of his mouth raise slightly. It was a facial expression that Mara recognized as the species’ form of smiling. “Kriff, indeed.” the Quarren’s voice was deep and ominous. “As you can see, you are not our target and there is no reason for you or your friends to be harmed.” He pointed a suction-tipped finger at her. “Don’t make us kill you.”

Mara knew she could do a Jedi Mind Trick to make him order their release, but that didn’t mean his directives would be obeyed by all on board. All they needed was one senior officer balk at the command and their escape would be at risk. Mara looked to Karrde.

“We won’t be harmed if we cooperate?” Talon’s question indicated to Mara she was to stand down.

“I guarantee it.” The Admiral gestured to his soldiers. “Take them to the detention block.” When his men roughly grabbed Mara’s arm the Admiral added, “Gently.”

They were hustled out of their ship and down the Dreadnaught’s corridors. The ship was old, but the damage she saw as she was escorted to the detention block didn’t appear to be from normal wear-and-tear. There was carbon scoring along the walls, dark splatter staining the floors and there was a musty smell that permeated the ship. It was a smell of desiccation and death. Something very bad had happened aboard this ship.

The guards escorting Chin and Karrde pushed them into the first cell of the detention block and moved to put Mara in another cell down the hall. She balked and shrugged out of their grip. When the guards reached out to her, she put a hand up and said using the full power of the Force, “Stop! Place me in the cell with my crew.” The two human guards hesitated before their eyes glazed over slightly. They didn’t speak but simply brought Mara back to the cell with Chin and Karrde, opened the cell door and pushed her inside.

Talon put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay.”

“Yes.” She walked over to the cell’s bench and sat down. “We need to warn Luke.”

Talon sat down next to her. “Can you…communicate with him across the vastness of space?”

She pulled in a long breath and closed her eyes. “I can try.” Before she could do anything, she felt the ship shutter. “They’ve made a jump. Even if I could contact him, we have no idea where we’re going.”

“But we should warn him, though,” Talon whispered to her. “Tell him it’s a trap.”

She gave a nod and closed her eyes as she reached out with the Force…grasping out for Luke’s Force presence.

_‘Luke!’_

She didn’t expect a response, but she soon felt him searching out for her. _‘Mara!’_

‘ _Luke, the Wild Karrde crew has been abducted by the Resistance. Three Dreadnaughts intercepted us between Ord Mantell and the Hydian Way Hyperspace route.’_

She could feel his panic. _‘Where are you now?’_

_‘We made a jump…we don’t know where.’_

She sensed his dread magnify. _‘We haven’t been able to find those Dreadnaughts. If they have a hiding place, it is far off the beaten path. They must be moving though a new or once forgotten hyperspace lane otherwise somebody would have seen them. We have Imperial probe droids at every hyperspace juncture.’_ There was a pause. _‘Is Talon with you now?’_

She furrowed her brow at the change of subject. _‘Yes, why?’_

_‘When we last talked, he mentioned that if the Resistance had found the Katana Fleet they may be using the location as a base of operations.’_

_‘So?’_

_‘Mara, I think Talon knows the location of the fleet. He just didn’t wish to broadcast the location over the holonet transceiver. You may be on the way to the fleet. Ask him.’_

Mara opened her eyes and turned to her boss. He looked at her expectantly. “Did you get ahold of Luke?”

“Talon,” she whispered while leaning close to his ear. “Do you know the location of the Katana Fleet?”

He grimaced. “I see you did get in contact with Luke.”

When he didn’t answer she nudged him with her elbow. “Do you? Because Luke thinks we might be going to that location.”

Talon’s mouth flattened to a flat line. “I do, but I don’t have a safe route to get there. I found the fleet after doing a blind jump and thinking I jumped into an Imperial blockade I did a second blind jump out of the area. I can only give him coordinates. He has to find his way in and out.”

Mara closed her eyes and sent the information to Luke after a moment she returned her attention to Talon. “He wants the coordinates. He thinks he knows a navigator that can get him there safely.”


	29. Chapter 29

**_Star Destroyer Redeemer_**  
  
Commodore Vanto intercepted Supreme Commander Skywalker outside the Officer’s Dining Facility. “Sir, the Chiss long-range shuttle has landed in the port docking bay. Chiss navigator Vah’nya and her security detachment will meet you on the flight deck.”  
  
“Ah,” Luke said softly. “Vah’nya…is that your…friend?”  
  
Vanto looked uncomfortable with the question but answered. “Yes, Sir. Could we please keep that to ourselves? I don’t want to cause her any embarrassment. The Chiss do not approve of my friendship with her.”  
  
“I understand completely,” Luke fell into step next to Vanto as they walked to the ship’s bridge. “How exactly does this work…Chiss navigation, that is?”  
  
“From what Vah’nya told me, it is a Force skill for precognition or future sight.” Eli glanced over to Luke. “What was very interesting to me is the Chiss…or as they call it…the Cheunh word for these navigators is ozyly-esehembo…which translates to Sky-Walker.”  
  
Luke hesitated a step, but then continued amble down the corridor. “Skywalker? That is curious.”  
  
Eli smiled. “She asked me if your people had this ability? Perhaps your ancestors were the human version of a Chiss Navigator.”  
  
Luke shrugged. “I will have to ask my father about that. It may explain why we both are excellent pilots.”  
  
They arrived at the bridge and found a half dozen Chiss onboard. Five were very large and intimidating male Chiss that gazed at Luke with hard red eyes. The men surrounded a young blue skinned Chiss female that appeared far younger than her twenty-nine years Eli claimed was her age. The young woman dropped her head in deference before lifting her eyes back to Luke and smiling. “Supreme Commander Skywalker. It is an honor to meet you.”  
  
“It is I that is honored,” Luke greeted her warmly. He thought about approaching her and shaking her hand, but the protective posture of her security detail made him pause. He cleared his throat before addressing her again. “Can you explain to me how you go about doing your navigation work?”  
  
Vah’nya moved until she was standing behind the navigator seated at a console. “First we try the coordinates for a direct flight but don’t engage the hyperdrive.” She motioned for the crewman to input the coordinated to the Katana Fleet given by Captain Karrde. She then closed her eyes for a long moment. She shook her head. “I sense our journey would not be successful.” She turned to Luke. “We continue doing this until We discover a path that I sense would not end in destruction of the crew. We engage the hyperdrive and once at that location we do it again, trying various coordinates until we finally get to the location we desire.”  
  
Luke nodded. “How long does this usually take?”  
  
Vah’nya gave a tight smile. “It usually doubles or triples the flight time depending on how many alternate coordinates we have to check before finding a safe passage.”  
  
“Ah ha,” Luke said warily. “How many times have you done this?” He hoped his question did not offend.  
  
“My career spans almost two decades with hundreds of flights.”  
  
“And they were all successful?”  
  
The Chiss woman looked confused by that question. “I would not be here if they were not? Did I misunderstand your question, Sir?”  
  
Luke laughed at foolishness of his question. It was like asking her if she survived all her flights. “I guess I meant to say, were there any complications or close calls?”  
  
“Oh,” Luke thought he almost noticed a slight smile flash across the woman’s face, but it was gone almost as fast as it appeared. “No sir. No difficulties. The worse thing that has happened is we would get to a point where there was no safe way to proceed. At that point we would back track and try using a different approach.”  
  
Luke nodded, satisfied at her answer. “Excellent. Proceed. I want to get there a soon as possible.” He turned to his Communications Officer. “Before each jump notify Grand Admiral Thrawn aboard the _Chimaera_ of our jump coordinates. He will accompany us to our destination.”  
  
.  
.  
 ** _Resistance Dreadnaught_**  
  
Karrde and Luke had secret discussions behind her back. Mara knew she shouldn’t be as irritated as she was about that, but somehow it seemed like a breach of trust between her and Luke.  
  
Talon glanced over at her and sighed. “You’re mad…aren’t you?”  
  
She crossed her arms across her chest and frowned. “No.”  
  
Karrde chuckled. “Yes, you are. You don’t like the idea that Luke contacted me about something.”  
  
She looked away from her boss and dropped her gaze on Chin sleeping on the metal cot in the corner of the cell.  
  
Talon scooted closer to her and gave her a nudge with his elbow. “He just wanted to know if I knew the location of Han Solo.”  
  
She turned her gaze to Karrde. “Why didn’t he ask me?”  
  
“That is something you need to discuss with him.”  
  
She made a humph sound. “Did you see the carbon scoring or smell that odor when we entered the ship?”  
  
Talon gave a nod. “Have you ever heard of the Hive Virus?”  
  
Mara shook her head.  
  
Talon stretched out his legs out and leaned closer to Mara. “It was a virus eradicated before you were born. The most virulent strain attacks the brain, altering perceptions, making people go mad with rage. They become blood thirsty and murderous. The last transmission from the Katana Fleet indicated the virus was spreading throughout the ships. It was believed the Admiral, knowing the virus could infect the galaxy, slaved the ships together and made a blind jump…to hide the fleet or maybe to destroy it, thus saving others from the illness.”  
  
A cold shiver ran up Mara’s spine. “Are we in danger…from a virus?”  
  
Talon shrugged. “It was a fast-acting infection. If this ship is from the legendary Katana fleet, and the virus was still active, I would think the crew would have succumbed to the disease by now.”  
  
She nodded. “So, the smell…”  
  
“Probably the mummified remains of a thousand crewmembers. They cleaned the ship thoroughly, but they couldn’t get the smell out of the air ducts completely.”  
  
“Or hide all of the blaster damage,” she added.  
  
“No visible damage on the outside,” Karrde pointed out. “That leads me to believe the danger came from within…from the crew.”  
  
Mara heard a shift in the ship’s engines. “We dropped out of hyperspace.”  
  
Talon frowned. “That’s not good. There is no way we are close to the coordinates given to Skywalker. We’re somewhere else.”  
  
Mara blew out a frustrated breath. “I’ll let Luke know.” She closed her eyes and reached out with the Force. _‘Luke!’_  
  
He must have been further away because her connection to him was now tenuous and she could barely make out his reply. _‘Yes!’_  
  
She pulled in a long breath and concentrated harder than she ever had trying to get the message to him. _‘Out of hyperspace. Don’t believe we are at coordinates given. Will update when we have more information.’_  
  
She waited for a response but received none. She opened her eyes and glanced over to her boss.  
  
“Did it work?”  
  
She made a gesture of frustration. “Not sure. I’ll try again if we ever figure out where we are.” She blew out a breath. “You sure you don’t want to try to escape. I can probably get us to the _Wild Karrde.”_  
  
He grimaced. “Then what? Get past their tractor beam and turbolasers? No, we don’t make a move unless it looks like they changed their mind about not doing us harm. Until then we wait.”  
  
Mara hated waiting…especially while in the detention block of a Dreadnaught, but she acquiesced to her employer’s wishes. “We’ll wait then.”


	30. Chapter 30

**Star Destroyer _Redeemer_**  
  
Commodore Vanto frowned when he noticed his supreme commander’s faraway, glazed expression. “Is there something wrong, Sir?” When Skywalker continued to stare blankly, Vanto risked reaching out and touching his shoulder. “Sir?”  
  
Luke startled before regaining his composure and turning to Eli. “Sorry, I was lost in thought.” He gave the man a reassuring smile before making an excuse to leave the bridge. “I’m going to my cabin to meditate. Notify me when we get to the coordinates or if there are any complications.”  
  
Vanto nodded, concern coloring his expression. “Yes, Sir.”  
  
Luke exited the flight deck while running a frustrated hand through his hair. Mara had reached out to him. He was able to pick up that she was out of hyperspace and was probably not at the location he was currently in route to. He was about to respond, but the navigator had taken that exact moment to engage the hyperdrive breaking Luke’s concentration. He tried to reestablish contact, but to no avail. Obviously, there was some limits to his and Mara’s Force communication abilities. Perhaps if he meditated, he could reestablish communication.  
.  
.  
.  
Mara gazed around the detention block and determined the ship had to constructed at least sixty years ago. All modern ships used force-fields to contain prisoners, unlike the bars and metal doors she viewed in this particular detention block. The cell in which she currently resided was at the intersection of two corridors. One corridor traveled to the left and right of their chamber and another was perpendicular allowing her a clear view down what she believed were level-one, maximum security detainment cells. From the looks of it, they were being held in a minimum security area which was more like a cage, with three walls and bars along the front of the room. The cells in the level-one unit had solid durasteel doors with a small video screen on the wall allowing guard to see inside the room. Mara wasn’t sure how food was dispensed, but if this ship was like other detention blocks there was probably a ration bar dispenser along the back wall. She turned and inspected her cell. There were four metal bunks jutting out from the wall. In the corner there was a durasteel toilet and sink with a waist high steel wall wrapping around to allow some privacy. What she didn’t see was a food dispenser. That meant that somebody would be around to feed them eventually. Hopefully, at that time, she should be able to gain some information.  
.  
.  
.  
“Arrrggh,” Luke groaned in frustration. No matter how hard he tried he could not reestablish contact with Mara. He was fairly confident that his inability was due to distance and not some more disturbing reason…such as her death. It was too much of a coincidence that his connection failed right at the start of his ship’s jump to lightspeed. He rose from his meditation mat located in the far corner of his quarters and walked over to his communication system and keyed the code to contact his father.  
  
After a few seconds a shimmering image of Darth Vader filled the area above the projector base. “You have an update?” his father asked in his deep baritone voice.  
  
Luke shook his head. “The Chiss navigator is moving us toward our destination, but Mara contacted me through the Force and said their ship dropped out of hyperspace. There is no way the ship that took her would be able to arrive at the coordinates given to us is such a short amount of time…even if they knew a direct route. She must be somewhere else.”  
  
“But where…you do not know.”  
  
“No father. I tried to regain contact. I think she is too far away.”  
  
“Then continue on your mission. I will dispatch Admiral Pellaeon’s fleet to search for the Dreadnaughts that captured the former Emperor’s Hand.”  
  
Luke blew out a relieved breath. “Thank you, father. I will notify you when we have reached our destination.” He disengaged contact and sighed. He really hoped Mara and her crew were alright.  
.  
.  
.  
It took over three hours before somebody came to the Mara’s cell to bring dinner. The Resistance member was a human male and very young, probably in his late teens. He pushed a waist high meal delivery cart that was used to keep items hot or cold depending on which side of the cart he opened. Mara moved up to the bars, but he motioned with his hand for her not to approach. “Stand back until I’m ready to hand out the trays.”  
  
Mara took a step back and smiled. “Sure…can you tell us where we are and what is going to happen to us?”  
  
The young man shook his head. “Sorry I can’t talk to prisoners.”  
  
Mara asked him again, using the Force to overcome his, reluctance. The man stopped what he was doing and turned to her. “We are in orbit above Onderon waiting for a Resistance Frigate to rendezvous with us. You will be transferred to the Frigate and transported to a safehouse elsewhere.”  
  
By now Chin and Karrde had moved to stand next to Mara, fascinated in seeing a mind-trick in action. “Where is the safehouse?” Mara asked.  
  
The guard gazed at Mara blankly. “I don’t know…supposedly only the ship’s captain knows…for security reasons.”  
  
Mara continued to press the man for answers. “How long until the Frigate arrives?”  
  
“I was told three to four hours from now.”  
  
Mara gritted her teeth in frustration. “You will forget we had this conversation.”  
  
“I will forget we had this conversation.” The man closed his eyes and shook his head as if coming out of a dream. He looked at his cart and then to Mara, obviously trying to figure out what just happened.  
  
“Are you going to feed us or just keep staring at the food cart,” Mara demanded, hoping her words would bring the boy out of his daze.  
  
That did the trick. The young man became irritated with her demands. “Shut up, unless you don’t want to eat!”  
  
Mara threw up her hands in a gesture of surrender. “Okay, sorry.”  
  
He passed over trays of food one at a time through a slot in the bars, closed up the cart and pushed it toward the exit. Karrde watched him as he left. “He didn’t visit any other cells. I guess we are the only prisoners in this corridor…possibly within the entire detention block.”  
  
Mara took her tray and moved to her bunk. “I need to try to get ahold of Luke and let him know where we are.” She placed the tray next to her before closing her eyes and reaching out for Skywalker through the Force. _‘Luke! Luke!’_ She paused, hoping for a response, but none came. _‘Luke! We are in orbit above Onderon! Onderon! We will be here for three hours! Onderon!’_  
  
She waited for a moment. When she didn’t get a response, she tried again and again until Karrde finally interrupted her.  
  
“Mara.” She opened her eyes and gazed at her employer. “Mara, you’ve been in a trance for almost two hours. Why don’t you eat.”  
  
She looked at her wristchrono in surprise. She thought it had only been a few minutes. She nodded before picking up her tray and taking a bite of a bread roll.  
  
As she chewed Chin flashed her a smile. “That was an impressive show with that guard.” His raised one eyebrow. “You don’t do that to us, do you?”  
  
Mara finished chewing and smirked. “It depends on your definition of ‘us’. If you mean, Talon, Aves and you…then no. If you mean ‘you’…then sometimes.”  
  
His jaw dropped. “You do mind-tricks on me?”  
  
She rolled her eyes. “Only to get you to lift that toilet seat. Your aim is worse than Stormtroopers.”  
  
Chin gave a sheepish look. “That's okay, as long as it is only that.”  
  
“That and trying to get you to lock the ‘fresher door when you are inside, but I guess I’m not strong enough in the Force to achieve that amazing feat.”  
  
Chin was about to make a smart-ass reply when an emergency klaxon screamed overhead as the ship shook. He turned to look out to the corridor while covering his ears with his hands, “What was that?”  
  
Mara put down her food tray and stood slowly as the ship rocked again and the lights started to flicker. “That sounded like…” Her words were cut off when they were plunged into blackness. With the power cut the warning siren fell silent. Eventually some dim emergency lighting came on along the baseboards of the corridors. “I think we were hit by an ion cannon. The electromagnetic pulse has temporarily fried some of the ship’s systems.” There was another loud thump that rocked the ship. “That’s a breaching pod hitting the ship.”  
  
Karrde went to the bars and looked out in the dimly lit corridor. “With the power out it is too bad we aren’t in a cell with a Force-field barrier.”  
  
Mara’s brow furrowed. “I thought you didn’t want to try to escape?” She flicked a hand toward the locking system. There was a click and the barred door swung ajar. “We could have always gotten out of the cell. Getting off the ship is another matter.”  
  
Karrde looked surprised for a second before giving a tight smile. “I think while the Resistance is distracted, maybe it is time to leave.”  
  
As they moved to exit there was commotion at the end of the high security corridor. Resistance fighters flooded into the hallway and took covered positions behind the passageway support beams jutting out a half meter into the corridor. Mara grabbed Chin and Talon and pulled them back into the cell. “I think we are about to have company. Let’s take cover behind the toilet privacy wall.”  
  
They positioned themselves behind the waist high wall. Mara was at the far left so she could have a better view of what was happening outside. She turned and whispered to Talon. “It looks like they are making a last stand in the detention center. That might mean the Empire is knocking at their door. I think our rescue party has arrived.”  
  
Talon risked a peek over the wall. “Is it Skywalker?”  
  
Mara closed her eyes and reached out for Luke. Her eyes went wide when she realized who was aboard. “It’s a Skywalker…just not Luke.”  
  
Karrde blew out a breath. “Kriff…Vader?”  
  
“Yes, Vader.”  
  
The sound of intense blaster fire could be heard moving toward the detention center before a dark form filled the doorway at the end of the corridor. Resistance fighters fired their blasters as a red lightsaber activated and began deflecting shots back to where they originated. Young soldiers screamed as they fell to the ground, smoke rising from holes in their chest. Mara watched as Darth Vader pushed his palm out in front of him and a stout Sullustan flew through the air, his head hitting the bars of their cell. There was the sound of a sickening crack and the splatter of blood and brain mater onto the back wall of their cell. Chin turned ashen white before he leaned over the toilet and vomited the contents of his stomach.  
  
As the vile stench of regurgitated prison food wafted through the cell Mara’s nose crinkled. “Chin, give us a courtesy flush, why don’t you.”  
  
Chin retched once more before flushing the toilet. “Sorry.”  
  
As Vader marched forward, he grabbed one Resistance fighter by the neck and raised him off the ground before crushing his larynx. The resulting cracking sound even made Mara, the hardened Emperor's Hand, queasy. The Emperor tossed the man aside like so much garbage before moving to his next victim. During Darth Vader’s rampage Mara could sense the Emperor’s emotions--which was best described as malicious euphoria. Vader could finally kill insurgents without the worry of blow back from his son. Obviously Luke heard Mara’s call and sent his father to rescue her. Eventually the blaster fire ended and all she could hear was the rough mechanical sound of the Emperor breathing. She stood and moved toward the cell entrance. Vader was there holding the door open gazing at her, his face hidden behind his black mask. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she dropped to a knee. “Thank you, Emperor Vader.”  
  
Talon and Chin came up behind Mara and mirrored her expression of deference.  
  
“Rise.”  
  
The three stood, eyes remaining down, not knowing what was going to happen next.  
  
Mara was the first to break the silence. “You have our undying gratitude. How can we repay you, your Eminence?”  
  
“Give me a grandchild!” he bellowed.  
  
Mara could sense Talon and Chin’s shock at that statement. She might have been taken aback by the request if she couldn’t also sense Vader’s amusement.  
  
Mara stifled a smile. “Yes, Emperor Vader. As soon as I am reunited with your son…I’ll get right on that.”  
  
“See to it.” The Dark Lord waved for the three to follow him.  
  
Mara fell in step a half-meter from Vader. “I see Luke heard my call for help.”  
  
“No,” Vader’s voice was low and ominous. “I did.”  
  
She was so surprised that she dared to look up directly at the Dark Lord. “You did?”  
  
A rumbling chuckle could be heard from the Sith. “Force communication was always your strength.”  
  
“Yes…but I thought it was because of a bond between people…like master and apprentice, between family or…or a romantic bond.”  
  
Vader stopped and turned his cape billowing around him as he did. “Which category do you believe helped you communicate with me?”  
  
Mara’s mouth dropped. “Ahhh…maybe my bond with you son helped me communicate with you?”  
  
He looked her up and down his emotions now tightly hidden in the Force. “Perhaps. Or conceivably there is a connection that you are yet unaware of.”  
  
Before she could ask him to elaborate, he spun on his heel and moved down the corridor with a purpose, stepping over dead bodies as he went. “Mara Jade, you will come with me. Your comrades can take their ship and leave.”  
  
Mara sensed Talon was about to object, so she talked quickly. “It will be my honor, Emperor Vader.” She gave Talon and Chin a warning glare convincing them to stay silent. “I assume we are on the way to see Luke.”  
  
“Yes, and when we arrive, I will end the Resistance and Rebellion once and for all.”


	31. Chapter 31

**Star Destroyer** _**Redeemer**_  
  
There was a slight shudder when the ship exited hyperspace. Luke gazed at his wrist-chrono and smiled. This last jump should have brought them very close to the coordinates given to him by Talon Karrde. If all goes well, the next jump should bring them to their destination within an hour. Luke walked to the ship’s bridge to check on the progress. As the door slid open he walked onto the flight deck and observed Commodore Vanto and the Chiss security staff huddled around the Chiss navigator having a heated debate.  
  
“What’s going on?” Luke asked the group.  
  
Commodore Vanto turned to Luke, his expression troubled. “We seem to be at an impasse.”  
  
Luke turned to the navigator. “Do we have to backtrack?”  
  
She lowered her eyes in deference. “No Supreme Commander. I know the coordinates that will safely bring us to the location you have specified…but I see danger at the destination.”  
  
“An ambush?” Luke ventured.  
  
The blue skinned woman shrugged slightly. “I believe so. I see the ship arriving safely, but then nothing.”  
  
Luke furrowed his brows. “What do you think the ‘nothingness’ means? Is the ship destroyed?”  
  
“I do not know. My best guess is we arrive safely…and then I die.”  
  
“Oh,” Luke thought about the situation for a long moment. “Can you plot a course near the coordinates…close enough that we can see the target with long range scanners?”  
  
“I have tried a number of approaches, Sir.” She hesitated slightly looking deeply disturbed. “I am a Force sensitive, but my abilities are in a narrow range…I am an ozyly-eschembo…a navigator. I am not a true seer, but I can tell you I sense an evil presence at the final destination.”  
  
“The Chiss Ascendency has graciously lent you a navigator,” one of the larger men of the Chiss security staff interrupted. “But we cannot allow her to accompany you to the final jump. She is far too valuable to risk. The Chiss are not at war with your insurgents.”  
  
Luke nodded. “Of course, the Empire would never force your navigator to continue when she senses such danger.” He looked over to Eli Vanto who appeared apprehensive before turning his attention back to the Chiss officers. “I would like to extend my sincere gratitude on behalf of myself and the Emperor for your cooperation in this matter. You are free to take your shuttle and depart…but, if I could ask one small favor, can you please wait until Grand Admiral Thrawn arrives. I would like for him to hear what you have to say. He is by far my most brilliant tactician. Perhaps he could come up with suggestions that could…circumvent this impasse safely.”  
  
The Chiss security detail whispered among themselves and their navigator before their senior officer turned and gave a curt node of his head. “We shall wait for the Grand Admiral’s arrival.”  
  
Commodore Vanto let out a relieved breath and risked a small smile to the young lady. “Excellent.” He motioned to one of his men. “Ensign Latto here will escort you to our dignitary lounge.” As the Chiss group made their way off the bridge Eli turned to Luke. “Your orders, Sir.”  
  
Luke rocked back on his heels as he contemplated his next move. “Contact the Chimaera and brief Grand Admiral Thrawn on the situation. Inform him that we will assemble at this location.” Luke walked toward the exit. “I’ll be in my quarters. Alert me when the Chimaera arrives.”  
.  
.  
.  
Mara, Talon and Chin followed Emperor Vader through the corridors of the old Dreadnaught as he led them to the starboard docking bay. Mara knew Vader wasn’t doing this to be helpful, but to keep them alive. Vader’s personal troopers, the 501st Legion, also referred to as Vader’s Fist, were shooting at anything not wearing an Imperial uniform. Before they arrived at their destination two Stormtroopers came toward Vader dragging a bloodied and bruised Resistance soldier between them. When they arrived in front the Emperor, they released the man, allowing him to drop to his knees. “We have located the Resistance leader known as Ewon Klanto,” the senior ranking Stormtrooper reported.  
  
The man kept his head down, shaking it side to side. “I’m not Klanto,” he muttered as blood-tinged saliva spilled between his lips. “I’m just a cook.”  
  
Vader stared at the man for a moment before announcing. “That is a lie.”  
  
The man looked up pleadingly, “Your Highness, it’s true. I’m Noyo Tantti, a cook from Corellia.”  
  
Talon had moved in front of Mara to get a better look at the man. “Hoffner?”  
  
Vader turned to Talon. “You know this man?”  
  
Karrde nodded. “He’s Captain Hoffner we worked together on one of Jorj Car’das smuggler ships.” Talon hesitated for a second before clarifying. “That is before I became a legitimate Imperial Trader.”  
  
The prisoner turned his attention to Talon, his swollen and battered eyes blazing with sheer hatred. “Karrde!” he hissed. “Admiral Wirriz should have killed you when you were first brought onboard.”  
  
“I can see why you would want that…but it wouldn’t have helped…I already told the Empire the location of the Katana Fleet.” Karrde snickered at Hoffner’s surprised expression before turning to the Emperor. “Hoffner was with me when we did a blind jump and stumbled upon the Katana Fleet. We at first thought we blundered into an Imperial blockade and did a second blind jump. It wasn’t until later that I realized the enormity of what I discovered. I thought I was the only one who figured it out, but obviously I was wrong.”  
  
“Kriff you!” Hoffner gurgled as he coughed up blood. “I may be caught and the Resistance might be doomed, but the Rebellion is still out there. Organa and Solo will find you and kill you for what you have done.”  
  
Karrde scoffed before smiling smugly. “I don’t think so.”  
  
“Enough!” Vader said with a wave of his hand before pointing at Hoffner and addressing his Stormtroopers. “Have him interrogated. He will reveal the location of any other Resistance members.”  
  
The two guards grabbed the man up under his arms and hauled him away. The Emperor continued walking until they arrived at the hanger bay. He motioned to a man in a grey Imperial uniform. “Ensign, escort these men to their ship.” He pointed a gloved hand to the VI Transport freighter at the end of the bay, “And ensure they leave unmolested.”  
  
The young officer snapped to attention. “Yes, your Eminence.” He gestured for Talon and Chin to follow him.  
  
“Wait.” Mara ran up to Talon. “Be careful. The Rebels might actually have a price on your head.”  
  
“Don’t worry,” he said calmly. “I don’t think the Princess and Solo will give me much trouble.” He leaned forward and whispered to her. “Are you sure you want to go with Vader.”  
  
She glanced back toward the Dark Lord. “I don’t have much choice.” She gave Talon a reassuring smile. “He wants me alive to pop out little Sith Skycrawlers…so I think I’m safe.” She reached up and gave her boss a quick hug. “I’ll contact you when I can.”  
  
She turned and walked to where Vader was waiting for her. As he spun on his heel and moved toward his private shuttle he said, “I must warn you, my helmet has sound amplifiers.”  
  
Her eyes went wide as she realized he heard everything she said to Talon. “Oh.” She waited for him to say more, but the Emperor remained silent.  
  
As she followed him up the ramp to his private shuttle she thought, _‘This is going to be an awkward flight.’_


	32. Chapter 32

**_Star Destroyer Redeemer_**  
  
Grand Admiral Thrawn joined Luke in his quarters for an informal briefing before he was to meet with the Chiss navigator and security entourage. The blue-skinned alien sipped a non-alcoholic drink Luke had offered him as he regarded the few pieces of art adorning the walls of his quarters. He gestured toward a painting of Tatooine’s twin suns setting over an expansive desert. “The sun setting over the Western Dune Sea on Tatooine.”  
  
It wasn’t a question. Luke was always impressed by the man’s knowledge of planetary geography and also the art of various cultures. “Yes, it was painted from a location very near my childhood home.”  
  
The Admiral stared at the painting for a long moment before turning to Luke. “Supreme Commander, I would like to thank you for deferring to my judgement when it came to the Chiss contingent onboard.”  
  
Luke shrugged. “What I told them was true…you are the tactical expert. My military experience is somewhat limited.”  
  
“Be it as it may, the Empire historically has shown disfavor, if not outright distain, for nonhuman and near-human species. Many within the Chiss Ascendancy believe your father has little respect for The Chiss and is simply using me as a symbol of inclusion to placate the disenfranchised in order to quench their simmering rage…a rage that has fueled the rebellion.”  
  
Luke took a moment to process the Admiral’s words. “What? No, my father may be a little suspicious of the Chiss, but I can tell you he respects you and your people.”  
  
A tight smile flashed across the Admiral’s lips before he returned to his usual stoic façade. “If that is true, your recent actions have helped cultivate that belief among my people.”  
  
“I’m glad that I can help.” Luke threw him a sidelong glance, knowing Admiral Thrawn was not one for idle chitchat. He had the broached this subject for a reason. “Why is that important to you?”  
  
Luke saw the man’s eyes widen ever so slightly. “You are getting good at reading me, Supreme Commander.”  
  
“I know your words are always precise and deliberate,” Luke walked over to his couch and sat gesturing to the Admiral to do the same. “Why do you care what the Chiss think about me or my father?”  
  
Thrawn lowered himself into cushioned seat across from Luke before finishing his drink and setting his glass on a side table. “Emperor Vader does not believe the Grysk Hegemony is a threat, but I do. If the Empire and Chiss government were officially allied, it would increase the odds of defeating the Grysk.”  
  
“I see.” Luke thought about it for a second. “The Chiss don’t believe in preemptive attacks. Does that mean if the Grysk attacked the Empire you wouldn’t assist?”  
  
“If allied, an attack on the Empire would be the same as an attack on the Chiss government.”  
  
“Ah ha,” Luke smiled knowingly. “What if the Empire attacked the Grysk…if my father made a preemptive attack, would that make a difference?”  
  
Thrawn shook his head. “As long as the Grysk responded to the Empire’s attack with violence…it would not matter to the Ascendancy who started the war.”  
  
Luke laughed. “It sounds like you want to be allied with the hopes that my hot-headed father will start something with the Grysk…just so your government can get rid of the threat once and for all.”  
  
Thrawn’s expression remained neutral. “The Ascendancy does have its…loopholes when it comes to their non-aggression principles.”  
  
Luke nodded. “I’ll discuss formalizing relations with the Chiss government the next time I see my father. For now, let’s get back to the task at hand. The Navigator told me she can’t see herself at our final destination. She believes she will die shortly upon arrival.”  
  
“She is incorrect,” Thrawn said matter-of-factly. “She doesn’t know it yet, but during my journey here the Chiss Aristocra sent me a communication demanding the return of Chiss Navigator Vah’nya. She could not see herself at the coordinates given to her not because she dies, but because she is to return home and not travel further into the Unknown Region.”  
  
Luke blew out a breath. “Oh…good. I didn’t want her to be harmed.”  
  
“I will discuss the situation with her before she is dismissed. We should acquire as much information—alternate safe travel lanes—before she returns.”  
  
“I agree.” Luke straightened in his seat and cleared his throat. “If you don’t mind, see if you can get more information out of her about this ‘evil presence’ she senses.”  
  
“Evil presence?”  
  
“Yes, the said she sensed an evil presence at the final coordinates.”  
  
“That is peculiar. I will endeavor to discover the meaning of her unease.” Admiral Thrawn gave a quick nod before standing and straightening his uniform tunic. “If you have nothing more for me, Supreme Commander, I will take leave to question Navigator Vah’nya.”  
  
Luke stood and walked the Grand Admiral to his door. “I look forward to your report.” Luke’s holo-transceiver beeped indicating he had an incoming call. “Sorry, I have to get that. Let me know when we are ready to depart.”  
  
He closed the door upon the Admiral's exit and rushed over to his communication transceiver. Upon activating the device an image of his father appeared. “I have successfully located and rescued the Former Emperor’s Hand.”  
  
Luke gave out a relieved breath. “Thank the Force. Is she alright? Is the Karrde crew okay? Is she there? Can I talk to her?”  
  
“She and her friends were not harmed…and I did not sustain any injuries during the rescue mission.”  
  
Luke wasn’t sure, but he suspected Emperor Vader was irritated that Luke did not express any concern for his safety. “I apologize Father. I never considered rag-tag resistance fighters to be of any threat to you…but I am glad you are well, and I hope none of the 501st suffered casualties.”  
  
“A few injuries, no deaths,” his father muttered. “I will transfer this transmission to the aft communication station.” Luke saw his father reach forward and flick a twitch. A half second later the image of Mara Jade appeared smiling widely.  
  
“Luke.” Her voice was strained with emotion.  
  
“Mara…I’m so glad my father found you.” Luke managed to say the words before he let out a shuddered breath. “Gods! I was so worried when I didn’t hear from you.”  
  
She smirked. “You didn't hear me...but your father did.”  
  
He gave her an incredulous expression. “My father heard you call out in the Force? That's a...that's a surprise.”  
  
Mara lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I was surprise too...but he did. He hinted that we now must have a connection…probably through you.”  
  
"Oh," Luke said thoughtfully. “Well, I’m glad he did. Where are you?”  
  
Mara’s smile dipped slightly. “I don’t know. I’m in your father’s private shuttle and he's not volunteering information.” She paused for a long moment. “I don’t think I am in danger. He said we will eventually travel to your location. He has a stop to make. I thought it best not to be persistent in my questioning.”  
  
Luke nodded in understanding. “I can’t wait to see you again…to hold you…”  
  
Mara put up a hand halting the conversation. “Luke, your father made it a point to tell me that his auditory sensors are very sensitive. He can probably hear us now.”  
  
Luke’s face heated as he smiled bashfully. “I understand. I look forward to our reunion.”  
  
“You and I both.” Mara’s smile was sultry and full of promise.  
  
She almost laughed when Farmboy blushed a deeper read. “I’ll talk to you later. I…um…you know.”  
  
She knew he hesitated to say the words out of fear of embarrassing her in front of his father.  
  
“Yes, I do know…and I love you, too,” she whispered before disconnecting the transmission. She sat there for a few moments before taking big breath and blowing it out. Eventually she stood and joined Emperor Vader on the shuttle flight deck. He gave her a sideway glance before punching in some coordinates and activating the hyperdrive. He then rotated the pilot seat until he was facing her fully. After a long awkward pause, she said, “Emperor Vader, I was just joking with my crew about the Sith Skycrawlers. My friends were worried for my safety. I said those things in jest…it was a way to allay their fears.”  
  
“That. I understand,” he said slowly. “I want to make myself very clear…I do not wish to have Sith grandchildren.”  
  
She wasn’t expecting him to say that. “You don’t?”  
  
“No,” his voice raised slightly for emphasis. “The Sith has a rule of two. Master and Apprentice and the apprentice always strives to kill the Master…just as I did.”  
  
“You don’t think Luke will go dark…do you?”  
  
She couldn’t see his face but felt his eyes upon her. Eventually he dropped his head slightly. “No, but if any child of his does go to the darkside they will attempt to kill Luke.”  
  
Mara was getting uncomfortable with this conversation. She hadn’t been dating Skywalker for very long and wasn’t sure if she wanted to marry and have children. “This conversation is premature.”  
  
“Is it?” Vader’s question made a chill go down her spine. She had promised him grandchildren in jest. She was sure she felt Darth Vader’s amusement when he ordered her to procreate with his son. Now she wasn’t so sure. She stiffened her spine and straight out asked the Dark Lord his intentions. “Are you insinuating that I have no choice in the matter?”  
  
There was a rumbling sound coming from Vader that she interpreted as chuckling. “I heard you clearly through the Force. You are not my apprentice, nor do we have a relationship like you do with my son. That leads me to one conclusion. Unfortunately, confirming my suspicions is not a Force skill I possess.”  
  
She had no idea what he was talking about. “I’m sorry Emperor Vader, I don’t follow.”  
  
“I can hear Luke through the Force because we are of the same blood. Father and son. Could I have heard you though the Force…through a grandchild?”  
  
Her jaw dropped. “What? No, I am on repress meds and your son is on repress meds.” She flinched when she realized she just confessed to being intimate with Luke, but that was something Vader probably already knew. “I’m not pregnant.” Her hands went instinctually to her belly. If she was pregnant, she was only a few weeks along. She doubted she would be able to sense any nascent life form growing within her. “I’m not pregnant,” she repeated, but her words didn't sound as convincing as before.  
  
This time Lord Vader did laugh. The sound was booming and so foreign to her ears that it scared her. Whenever Palpatine laughed like that she knew somebody was about to die. She waited for Vader to lash out, but he turned to face the front view port and gazed at the extended points of light. “I sense your unease,” he said as he continued to look at the stars streaming by. “You have nothing to fear from me. My son needs you. Without you his future is bleak.”  
  
Vader now had her full attention. “What do you mean? Did you have a vision of the future?”  
  
“Yes, one future of many,” he said cryptically. “All will be explained when we get to our destination.”  
  
“And where _is_ our destination?”  
  
She didn't expect him to answer, but he did. “The Moddell sector in the Outer Rim.”


	33. Chapter 33

**_Star Destroyer Redeemer_**  
  
The Chiss delegation had departed after the Grand Admiral was sure he extracted as much information as possible from the Navigator. Luke and Thrawn were now on the bridge of the ship as they prepared to make their final jump.  
  
The Grand Admiral turned to Luke. “I will return to my ship. Would you like the _Chimaera_ to take lead?”  
  
Luke shook his head. “We go in together. I sent a message to my father and Admiral Pellaeon instructing them on a safe route to our destination. The 501st and 3rd Fleet shouldn’t be more than a few hours behind us.” He looked to the Admiral questioningly. “Unless you think it is best to wait and go in force?”  
  
Thrawn ran a hand over his chin in thought. “Normally I would suggest doing so, but Navigator Vah’nya was very insistent that something…was wrong at our destination.”  
  
“Not evil?”  
  
The Grand Admiral thought for a long moment. “She was unsure what she felt. When I questioned her about the _‘evil presence’_ she demurred and said it was more a feeling of wrongness. She said she was taught about ripples or scars in the Force. It felt like that.”  
  
“Like a disturbance in the Force?” Luke asked.  
  
“Possibly,” Thrawn said after some consideration. “We might be walking into a trap, but I believe it is far better to have two Star Destroyers reconnoiter the area instead of leading entire fleets into an ambush. I am confident that we will either defeat the threat or find a way to disengage and fallback until reinforcements arrive.”  
  
Luke nodded. “I agree. You best get back to your ship. Let us know when you arrive, and we will commence with our jump.”  
  
“Yes, Supreme Commander.” Grand Admiral Thrawn said as he turned and left the bridge.  
  
Luke turned to Commodore Vanto. “Inform me when we are ready to go. I will be in my quarters.”  
  
Luke walked to his quarters at a quick pace. He wanted to contact Mara before he made the jump. If he was flying into an ambush, he wanted the chance to talk to her one last time.  
  
 ** _Lord Vader’s Private Shuttle_**  
  
“If you think it is a trap then wait for more backup,” Mara implored Luke.  
  
“We don’t know that it’s a trap. The Navigator simply said she felt a disturbance in the Force. That can mean anything,” Luke said calmly in an attempt to assuage Mara’s fears. “That’s all.”  
  
“That’s all? You do know that it takes a lot of evil or death just to make a ripple in the Force! A disturbance is something on a whole new level.”  
  
Luke started to regret calling. He should have waited until they reconnoitered the area and was able to report results. All he managed to do was unset her. “It’s going to be fine. I have Grand Admiral Thrawn with me.”  
  
She crossed her arms across her chest and glared at the projected image of Luke hovering over the transceiver base. “What if you come out of hyperspace and find a fully functional and totally manned Katana Fleet?”  
  
He made on expression of incredulity. “If Ewon Klanto had more than three functional Dreadnaughts he would have used them by now.” He heaved a sigh. “Mara, I don’t want to argue. I just wanted to talk. I miss you.”  
  
Her brow knitted together. “Does your father know your plan?”  
  
A loud booming voice shouted from the front of the shuttle. “Don’t involve me in your argument!”  
  
Luke laughed at Mara’s startled expression. “You heard my father. He doesn’t want you involving him in our conversation.”  
  
Mara looked toward the flight deck and made a dismissive sound, “Pffft.” She returned her attention back to Luke and whispered. “He’s just trying to stay neutral because he thinks I’m pregnant.”  
  
Luke’s eyes went wide as his jaw dropped. “What?”  
  
She waved him off. “I’m not pregnant. It’s your father’s theory to explain how he and I can now communicate through the Force. According to him, my imaginary Skywalker embryo is acting as a Force communication amplifier and signal relay.”  
  
It took a second for Luke to regain his voice. “Have you…did you take a test to find out?”  
  
She made a face. “Surprisingly your father doesn’t carry a supply of pregnancy test kits on his shuttle.”  
  
Luke took a few calming breaths before smiling. “If you’re pregnant…I wouldn’t mind. I mean, as long as you are happy.” He paused trying to gauge her mood. “Are you happy?”  
  
Her expression was one of frustration. “I’m neither happy nor sad…because I’m not pregnant.”  
  
He knew he should drop the subject, but he needed to know. “But if you were…would you be upset?”  
  
She rolled her eyes and groaned. “To be honest Luke, I never imagined becoming a mother. Palpatine would have never allowed it…and if he did, I don’t think he would have permitted me to keep the child. He would have trained it to be another Hand or some other type of sycophant. Because of that I never allowed myself to dream of having a family.”  
  
“What about now?” He gave a small, hopeful smile.  
  
She sighed wistfully. “If I was to have children…I would want them with you.” She glanced down at the floor in thought before continuing. “I guess my answer is no, I wouldn’t be upset. But I don’t want you to get your hopes up. It is very unlikely that I’m with child. I mean we have only been intimate…”  
  
“Stop talking!” Darth Vader shouted.  
  
Both Luke and Mara laughed. When she caught her breath, she grinned at the image of Luke. “Be safe and let us know what you find at your destination. I love you.”  
  
The Supreme Commander smiled back. “I love you too.”


	34. Chapter 34

**_Star Destroyer Redeemer_**  
  
Commodore Eli Vanto turned to his Supreme Commander sitting in the Captain's chair on the flight deck. “We will be exiting hyperspace momentarily, Sir.”  
  
Luke nodded. “Shields up and weapons systems at the ready. Stay alert. We don’t know what to expect.”  
  
The helmsman pushed a series of buttons and the long bright lines reverted to points of light. Luke immediately went on alert when he caught sight of hundreds of Dreadnaughts floating in space. Most of the ships were dark and looked inoperable, but a few had small repair ships buzzing around them. “Focus on the activity on the port side of the view screen. Scanners! Are those robotic repair droids with supply ships or do we have living beings in the area?”  
  
A young female ensign reviewed her screens before turning to Luke. “Droids on the outside. Sensors have detected a few lifeforms onboard. None of the ships have activated their weapon systems or shields.”  
  
The Supreme Commander turned to the communications officer. “Hail them on all frequencies, especially the more common Old Republic channels.”  
  
“Aye, Sir.” The young male lieutenant carried out the orders. “No response yet, Sir. I will continue monitoring.”  
  
Luke saw moment on the starboard side and was relieved when he realized it was the _Chimaera_ coming out of hyperspace. “Notify Grand Admiral Thrawn what little we know at this point.”  
  
The lieutenant on the comms acknowledged the command.  
  
“Sir,” the officer running the sensors called out. “There are life forms on the planet below. It appears there are pockets of civilization. One major city, but other small municipalities scattered throughout the northern hemisphere.”  
  
“What planet?” Luke’s searching gaze crisscrossed the front view port until he noticed a burst of what looked like chain lightning illuminating a dark, cloud covered planet momentarily before it plunged back into darkness. He focused his attention on the sphere while reaching out with the Force. It was then he felt something reaching back…a darkness…something evil. The feeling of hate and despair was so intense he took a step back and he sucked in a startled breath.  
  
Eli turned to his Supreme Commander looking concerned. “What is it, Sir?”  
  
Luke took a few calming breaths before turning to the man. “I don’t know. Something is wrong…something involving the Force. Contact the Grand Admiral and inform him that I am turning over command of the recon operation to him while I make contact with Emperor Vader. I’ll be in my quarters.”  
  
Luke felt terrible about leaving the bridge, but the planet below reminded him of the cave on Dagobah. So much so, that he practically ran to his quarters. When he was behind closed doors, he opted to wait on telling his father in preference to somebody who might be able to sense what he was feeling at the moment. “Obi-Wan!” He looked around the sitting area of his quarters trying to catch a glimpse of the specter. “Damn it! Make yourself useful for once!”  
  
After a moment the blue, shimmering image of his old Jedi Master materialized. Luke rushed to the Force ghost. “You said you can’t ghost recon around the galaxy…but how about the planet below?”  
  
“I thought you didn’t want my help.” He gave Luke a defiant gaze as he sat on his couch.  
  
With some effort Luke managed to not reply acerbically or lecture the spirit about sitting on his furniture. “Ben, are you going to put the galaxy in danger just to spite me?”  
  
The spirit looked offended at the suggestion. “Of course, not…but an apology might be in order.”  
  
“Fine, I’m sorry for yelling at you. Can you tell me what I am feeling from the surface of the planet?”  
  
The old Jedi closed his eyes, but almost immediately his eyes popped open. “Oh.”  
  
“Oh? What do you mean by oh?”  
  
The Force ghost’s expression was one of apprehension. “I have never felt anything quite like it. I must investigate.” Obi-Wan’s image vanished leaving Luke alone in the room. He wasn’t sure what to do. If he called his father, he was positive his old master would reappear at a very inopportune moment and probably in full view for his father. As the minutes crept by, he became more and more anxious. Eventually he saw a shimmering in the corner of his eye. “What did you…” He stopped mid sentence when he realized he was not looking at Obi-Wan Kenobi.  
  
“Master Yoda?”  
  
The green, diminutive Jedi was standing on a side table holding his glimmer stick. “Master Yoda,” Luke repeated while staring at the semi-transparent spirit. “You’re dead? Did…did my father find you? I never told him about you. I would never have put your life in danger.”  
  
“Hmmm,” the Jedi Master muttered. “Dead, I am. Return to finish your training, you did not. For years I waited. Of boredom, I died.”  
  
Luke gazed at his old master slack jawed. “Are you really joking at a time like this? I may have stumbled upon…I don’t know…some darkside vortex. I need help. What should I do?”  
  
Master Yoda shook his head. “Never learned patience I see.”  
  
“Yes, It’s true. I’m impatient. I have a fleet of Dreadnaughts floating over a planet that feels…evil.”  
  
“Yes, yes, the planet. Ixigul, it is called. The Jedi historian Kli the Elder described it. A Sith bastion, it is. Hmmm.”  
  
“The cities,” Luke choked out. “Are they entire cities of Sith? Did I bring my crew to a kriff’n Sith planet?”  
  
Before Yoda could answer, Obi-Wan suddenly reappeared prompting a startled yelp from Luke. “Shavit! Give me a warning before you materialize centimeters from me.”  
  
“Sorry,” the old Jedi actually sounded apologetic. “I thought it best that I returned post haste. We have a problem.”  
  
“Master Yoda told me,” Luke said apprehensively. “We’re in orbit above a Sith planet.”  
  
“Oh, it is much worse than that,” Kenobi said ominously. “I felt a familiar presence down there.” He turned to Master Yoda. “Palpatine.”  
  
Yoda’s eyes went wide before they slowly fluttered shut in concentration. After a minute his eyes slowly reopened. “Palpatine it is, but different he feels.”  
  
“Maybe because he is dead,” Luke ventured. “My father killed him. He must be floating around as a ghost down there.”  
  
Kenobi shook his head. “No, he is very much alive…for now. He is not looking well, though.”  
  
Luke shook his head while pacing nervously. “I saw him get sucked out into the vacuum of space.” He stopped when a thought came to him. He turned to the two Jedi spirits. “Could it be a clone? My father found a cloning facility in the Emperor’s palace.”  
  
The two Jedi Masters exchanged looks. “Possible, it is.” Yoda ventured.  
  
“We need to retreat,” Luke muttered. “Wait for reinforcements.”  
  
“You will simply allow Palpatine time to prepare for your return,” Obi-Wan advised. “Destroy the ships in orbit while they are not manned. Take away his ability to strike in force.”  
  
Luke nodded numbly. “I need to discuss this with the Grand Admiral.” He then turned on his heel and left his quarters.  
  
Obi-Wan looked over to Master Yoda sadly. “We lost him to Vader.”  
  
“Underestimate the boy, do not. Anakin and not Vader, perhaps he found.”  
  
Master Kenobi scoffed. “Darth Vader is far too evil to have returned from the darkside.”  
  
“Possible all things are.” Yoda said before his form slowly dissipated leaving Kenobi alone to contemplate his words.  
.  
.  
.  
  
 ** _Emperor Vader’s Private Shuttle_**  
  
The closer they got to their destination, the more troubled Mara became. The cause of her unease was a tremor in the Force and she knew the source: Lord Vader. For some unfathomable reason the Dark Lord was becoming more and more anxious as the hours passed. She couldn’t comprehend what would put Vader on edge, but it must be something horrific. She sat next to the man in the copilot seat, wanting answers but not daring to ask.  
  
Fortunately, it was the Emperor that broached the subject. “I have kept something from my son…a secret. I want your advice before telling him. I wish to avoid his…disapproval. Perhaps you will know the best way for me to inform him of my deception…or whether I should tell him at all.”  
  
She sat silent for a moment before answering. “Are we talking about a big secret?”  
  
“Yes, it is what you would call…big.”  
  
“What is it?” When he didn’t answer she tried another approach. “Why did you hide…whatever it is…from him?”  
  
“There are many reasons. But one reason is I told him I had changed. I wasn’t the same person who choked Admirals and blew up planets.”  
  
She raised an eyebrow. “And that’s not true?”  
  
“It is true enough.”  
  
She shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t help you if I don’t know what you are talking about.” Vader switched a couple buttons and pulled back on a lever taking the ship out of hyperspace prompting Mara to gasp at what she saw through the viewport.  
  
Vader pointed out the transparisteel window. “That is one of the things I have been hiding from my son.”  
  
Mara Jade was rendered speechless, her jaw slack with surprise. A planet, a blue gas giant, filled the view screen. The large world was surrounded by numerous moons. In orbit above one particular green moon was... the Death Star.


	35. Chapter 35

**_Star Destroyer Redeemer_**  
  
Luke rejoined Commodore Vanto on the flight deck as he fought to hide his unease. “Report,” he ordered a little more curtly than usual.  
  
Eli Vanto didn’t seem to notice Luke’s apprehension as the apprised his Supreme Commander of the situation. “Grand Admiral Thrawn has deployed two squadrons of Tie Fighters. They are doing a reconnaissance of the fleet. None appear operational at this time. Our long-range scanners show no evidence of planetary shields or defense cannons. There is also no indication of orbital planetary defense platforms.”  
  
“Good, good.” He took a breath before continuing. “We’ll let the recon team continue their work. Keep monitoring the planet. They may have hidden warships planetside” He gestured to Vanto to follow him. “A word in your Ready Room.”  
  
“Of course, Sir.” He called over his shoulder. “Commander Dekkei, you have the bridge.”  
  
Vanto followed his superior into the Ready Room. As the door slid shut behind him, he asked, “Did you talk to the Emperor?”  
  
Luke shook his head. “I decided not to notify him until I confirm my suspicions.”  
  
Eli’s brow went up. “And those suspicions are?”  
  
The words came out of Luke in a whisper. “I sense Palpatine on the planet below.”  
  
That was obviously the last thing Commodore Vanto was expecting to hear. His jaw went slack as he stammered out his questions. “What? I thought he was dead?”  
  
Luke ran a hand through his blond hair as he started pacing the room nervously. “I thought so too. I think it might be a clone. There was evidence in the Imperial Palace that he was working on cloning himself. He believed he could transfer his consciousness into a clone body and live forever.”  
  
“Sir,” Vanto said slowly. “You can’t let this information get out.”  
  
Luke stopped his pacing and turned to the older man. “Why not?”  
  
Commodore Vanto looked extremely uncomfortable. “Sir, I have the upmost respect for you…but you did blow up the Death Star and hundreds of thousands of loyal Imperials with it. Some see your father as a usurper of the throne and you as former rebel scum. Many Imperials might welcome the return of Emperor Palpatine.”  
  
Luke was shocked by that revelation. “How can you say that? The man was evil! Look what good I have done since I was promoted to Supreme Commander.”  
  
Vanto put his hands up in a calming gesture. “Yes, Sir. I know that and probably deep down your citizens know that also…but you and your father…”  
  
He trailed off hesitantly.  
  
“Oh, for kriffsake, Eli, speak freely. I need somebody to be brutally honest with me now.”  
  
Commodore Vanto looked like he wanted to be anywhere but having this particular conversation. “Sir, before I continue, I need you to know I have the upmost…”  
  
Luke cut him off. “Yes, I know…the upmost respect for me, but…”  
  
Vanto sighed deeply. “People fear you and your father. You two are the last known beings capable of wielding the Force. That makes you laser-sword carrying wizards. You have killed just under a million Imperials and your father likes to slaughter Admirals that disappoint him. It is hard for the common Imperial soldier to put those things aside just because they now have a good health care plan.”  
  
“They hate me so much that they would welcome back a Sith Lord? You do know that makes him an _evil_ wizard!”  
  
Vanto blew out an exasperated breath. “Emperor Palpatine never really showed off his Force abilities. Most people had no idea. Palpatine used your father to do his dirty work. Imperial citizens didn’t see Palpatine as the villain. He was an elder statesman and leader of the Empire that got murdered by his second in command.”  
  
Luke pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Okay, I don’t mention Palpatine to the general population. What about Grand Admiral Thrawn?”  
  
“Of course, tell him,” Vanto said adamantly. “He is the most brilliant commander I have ever worked with. He will give you sound advice.”  
  
Luke looked the man in the eye. “Will he? He’s not scared of me or my father? If he got rid of us, he’d be next in line for the throne.”  
  
Vanto laughed. “Grand Admiral Thrawn has no aspirations of sitting on your father’s throne. He is brilliant, but he has no patience with the overly emotional and irrational species populating our galaxy…especially humans. The Chiss are empirically minded. To him, leading the sentients of our galaxy is like herding loth-cats. It is more trouble than it’s worth. He wants a binding alliance between governments. If the Empire remains in competent hands and doesn't attempt to attack the Chiss Ascendancy...he is more than happy to leave command and control of the Empire to others.”  
  
Luke nodded, feeling the truthfulness in Commodore Vanto’s words. He also knew Eli Vanto has served with Thrawn since they were cadets at the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant. If anybody knew the Grand Admiral it was Commodore Vanto. “Okay, let’s contact him.”  
  
**_Emperor Vader’s Private Shuttle_**  
  
“You ordered the construction of another Death Star,” Mara exclaimed, “After your son blew up the first one?”  
  
“No, Emperor Palpatine ordered it built. I did not know about it until I became Emperor. He didn’t trust anybody after the plans of the first Battle Station leaked. He kept the workers isolated with multiple layers of security.”  
  
She shrugged. “Why keep this from Luke? I think he would understand.”  
  
“I will show you shortly.” He maneuvered his shuttle to one of the battle stations huge docking bays, landed smoothly, and powered down the ship. He then gave out a mechanical sigh as he stood while lowering the front boarding ramp. “I wasn’t hiding the Death Star from Luke as much as something inside. I can’t explain. You will have to see it yourself.”  
  
At the bottom of the ramp a squad of Stormtroopers stood at attention. The Emperor walked past them without a word and moved into a turbolift where Mara joined him. “Throne room.”  
  
The doors slid shut and they started to move, first horizontally at a high rate of speed, and then it slowed before moving vertically. Eventually the lift stopped, and the doors slid silently open.  
  
They were in a grand throne room. A black cushioned chair was centered on an upraise platform with a large round window behind it. Vader walked toward the throne but didn’t move up the steps leading up to the chair. Instead, he went to the left of the seat of power and activated a panel causing a door to slide open. He stopped at the entrance as Mara positioned herself next to the Dark Lord and peered inside. There was a long corridor with metallic beams spaced every three or four meters with some strange looking reflective walls in between.  
  
“Does this lead to another laboratory?” she asked.  
  
“No.” He stepped into the room. “On the Death Star schematics this room was designated at Room of Mirrors.” He stood in between two beams and stared at his reflected image. “It took some research, but I eventually discovered its purpose.” He turned to Mara who moved to stand next to him. “These mirrors,” Vader motioned to the reflective metallic wall in front of them. “they are not mirrors…they are portals…doorways between time and space of different realities...worlds between worlds. You can see the past, present and future of alternate universes...if you know how to manipulate the Force into showing you its secrets, that is.”  
  
Mara clamped down on her emotions to hide her disbelief, but the Emperor must have sensed her incredulity. “I don’t expect you to take my word. I didn’t believe it myself at first…but I have seen things…things I have kept from my son.”  
  
“Like what?”  
  
The Dark Lord reached out with his hand and touched the reflective metal. Mara jumped back when a vision of a dark forested area appeared. She took a tentative step forward and regarded the image in disbelief. It was far too detailed to be a hologram. She extended her hand to touch a nearby fir tree, but Darth Vader grabbed her wrist, preventing her. “No, do not interact, simply observe.”  
  
She gazed at the image and realized she wasn't looking at a forest floor, but somewhere high up in giant trees. There were elevated wooden paths connecting primitive huts built onto the branches. “Is this Kashyyyk?”  
  
“No, this is the forested moon of Endor. We are currently in synchronous orbit above it.”  
  
She was going to ask another question when movement caught her attention. “Luke?” Luke Skywalker, wearing black clothing walked briskly down a pathway until he reached somebody. Mara couldn’t see who he was talking to because Luke stood between her and the mystery person. After a few moments he took a step closer to the unknown individual and dipped his head down to what could only be a kiss. Eventually the two parted and Mara was finally able to see Princess Leia. “What the Kriff! He said they were just friends! Was he kriff’n her because if he…”  
  
“No!” Vader interrupted her tirade. “They were never romantic…not in this reality…not ever.” He took a deep mechanical breath and blew it out. “It appears my wife was carrying twins. Princess Leia is my daughter. She is Luke’s twin sister.”  
  
“Oh,” Mara said, relieved that her spike of jealousy was unfounded. “A sister?”  
  
“This is what I was hiding from Luke.” Vader turned and gazed down at Mara. “I feared if he discovered the existence of his sister, he would betray me and return to her cause.”  
  
Mara thought about it for a long moment. “I don’t think Luke would risk losing all the reforms he has established.”  
  
“That is why I approved all of his reforms! Do you actually believe I have suddenly become compassionate and selfless? No, I am looking out for my own self-interest. I want to keep a good relationship with my son, and I am willing to indulge his charitable and humanitarian instincts to do so.”  
  
Mara wasn’t sure if she should be irritated with Vader for manipulating Luke or not, since it appeared that Luke was getting more out of the Emperor’s machinations than Vader was. “What about me?” She asked. “Am I part of your manipulation?”  
  
“Yes, you are!” Vader said as he motioned her down the hall. “There are dozens of different universes. Some turn out well for my son and in others his fate is forlorn.” He stepped in front of another mirror and placed a hand on it. It shimmered and revealed an image of what appeared to be the throne room on Coruscant. Luke was dressed in a strange black and red armored uniform. It was reminiscent of the armor worn by the now defunct Inquisitorius, but with a crimson cape and chest plate. In Luke’s arms, he carried a toddler. It was a blue-eyed boy with a mop of bright red hair and wearing a nondescript jumpsuit. “You want to see grandpa?” Luke asked the child. As Luke approached the throne, the seat spun around revealing Darth Vader. Luke lowered the boy to the floor so he could run to the Emperor. To Mara’s surprise Emperor Vader stretched out his leather clad arms and scooped up the boy placing him on his lap. Vader’s grandson reached up and tried to push the buttons on the Emperor’s chest plate. Darth Vader gently redirected the boy’s hands. “No, no…do not touch.” He looked up to Luke. “I would not be surprised if your wife is teaching him to be an assassin.”  
  
Mara’s jaw dropped as she turned to Emperor Vader in her reality. “Is that my son?”  
  
Vader nodded. “Yes, in this universe and time. It does not mean it will happen to you here.” He moved further down the corridor. “There are timelines…alternate universes where Luke does not have you in his life.” He touched the mirror and an image of a stony shore appeared. Waves were breaking against rocks causing sea spray to hit a half dozen portly creatures currently lounging on an unknown beach. They had leathery gray skin, long necks, flipper feet and four large teats near their hind legs. A decrepit old man walked down to the shoreline to one of the creatures and places a bottle to one of teats and milked the beast. He then turned and drank out of the bottle, green lactate secretions dripping down his unkempt beard. Mara focused on the man and gasped. “Luke?”  
  
“Yes,” Emperor Vader said, his voice dripping with disgust. “He is an unmarried, childless hermit whose diet is primarily fish and sea cow milk.”  
  
Mara shuddered. “He looks ancient.”  
  
“I have watched this timeline many times." Vader's motioned to his son. "I believe he is in his early fifties.”  
  
“Fifties!” Mara made a face when the bearded Luke took another swig of green milk. “He looks terrible.”  
  
“His sister has not aged any better.” He stared at the ragged Luke for a moment. “This universe is difficult for him. He does not have his father or you.”  
  
“Where am I in this alternate universe?”  
  
“In this particular reality…” Emperor Vader made a ‘who knows’ gesture. “Not in my son’s life. Perhaps with practice you can find yourself…but it can only give you an indication as to how different decisions can affect your life…it cannot foretell your exact future.”  
  
“Knowing that Princess Leia is your daughter…have you considered reaching out to her? You talked Luke into seeing you in a different light…why not Leia?”  
  
Vader shook his head. “I tortured the Princess and forced her to watch the destruction of her planet and with it the death of almost everybody she has ever known or loved. She will never truly come to terms with what I have done. Not enough to fully forgive me.”  
  
“Are you sure? There must have been some alternate universe where she forgives you.”  
  
Emperor Vader stood silent for a very long time before he spoke. “In one timeline I died saving Luke. He and Leia become Jedi…and Leia finds a way to forgive me.”  
  
“Then there is hope.”  
  
“In almost all alternate realities it is Leia’s son who goes to the darkside. Having me in her life will most likely only hasten the inevitable.”  
  
He walked down to another portal, but Mara stopped him before he could touch the mirror. “Stop, I don’t want to see any more.” She ran a hand over her face. “What do you want from me?”  
  
He turned and walked down the corridor to the exit. “I only want your advice. None of the alternate scenarios have me alive and him knowing Leia is his sister. Should I tell Luke about his sister? Will he turn on me?”  
  
She followed him out to the throne room. “He won’t turn on you. You are his father. I think you should tell him about Leia, though. He was angry at the Jedi for lying to him…he doesn’t like people lying or omitting the truth. His life has been full of falsehoods.”  
  
Emperor Vader looked out the large transparisteel window. “I will tell him.” He walked over to the throne and touched a button on the armrest. “Admiral Fel bring us to the coordinates along the route I specified earlier.” He didn’t wait for a confirmation but turned and gestured for Mara to follow him. “Come, I will show you to your quarters. We should rendezvous with Luke in the matter of hours.”


	36. Chapter 36

Star Destroyer _Redeemer_  
  
Luke’s discussion with Commodore Vanto was enlightening. He never considered the populace could possibly want the return of Emperor Palpatine. Upon reflection he realized Eli was probably right. Very few people truly knew Palpatine…the man who fell to the darkside and reinvented himself as Darth Sidious. No, most Imperial citizens remembered Sheev Palpatine as the well-liked senator from Naboo and a man that was promoted to Supreme Chancellor by popular vote. He was an elected politician who, during the height of the Clone Wars, was granted emergency war powers that eventually devolved into a dictatorship and the creation of the Empire. Once secure in office there was no need for Palpatine to pander to the voters like most politicians do. He could become the recluse dictator and for most people…out of sight, out of mind. Palpatine was crafty enough to deflect the blame of any war crimes onto the late Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Vader or some other military official.  
  
That was a concern for Luke, but the resurfacing of the Sith Lord brought with it other worries…problems that only another Force user could solve. Luke had a strategy to eliminate the threat of Palpatine, but when he voiced his plan to Grand Admiral Thrawn he met resistance.  
  
“Supreme Commander,” The holovid projection of Grand Admiral Thrawn said slowly. “Although I cannot order you to abandon your plan… if you are correct…if Emperor Palpatine is alive, either as a clone or through some other mysterious aspect of the Force…facing him alone is extremely ill advised.”  
  
Luke visibly bristled, somewhat offended at the lack of confidence his subordinate exhibited. “I am a skilled Force user.”  
  
“Of that I have no doubt, Supreme Commander.” Thrawn paused in thought before continuing. “But, by your own account, when you and your father confronted the emperor years ago, you barely escaped with your lives.”  
  
“I wasn’t fully trained,” Luke said emphatically. “My father completed my training.”  
  
Admiral Thrawn heaved a sigh before trying another argument. “Sir, we have not sensed any troop movements from the planet below. There is no reason to act at this point.” Thrawn pointed toward Commodore Vanto standing next to Luke. “At this time, the Commodore and I do not have the authority to stop you, but I will notify the Emperor and he can extend that authority to me.” When it looked like Luke was going to argue Grand Admiral Thrawn quickly added. “Please take into consideration that your father will undoubtedly execute me and possibly Commodore Vanto if we allow you to put your life in jeopardy.”  
  
Luke’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “He would…wouldn’t he.” It was not a question, but a statement of fact.  
  
The tension in Commodore Vanto’s face and body visibly relaxed with Luke’s words. He looked at his Supreme Commander curiously, “Sir, why are you so anxious to go planetside alone?”  
  
Luke’s hand went down to his lightsaber absently. “As you pointed out earlier, there is a concern about how the Imperial population will react to the reemergence of Emperor Palpatine…. meaning they might prefer being under his rule than that of my father. Knowing Palpatine is alive might cause unrest, therefore, the less people knowing he’s alive the better. If I bring a battalion of men to the planet’s surface to hunt him down the news will eventually leak out. If I go alone then that won’t be a problem. I can sense his presence…I can find him. Second, we currently have the element of surprise. Every second that passes is more time for Palpatine to plan his attack.”  
  
“Sir, I doubt additional time will be of any help the former emperor,” Thrawn assured Luke. “The Dreadnaughts are currently not functional. Otherwise, they would have pressed an attack while we only have two ships in orbit. They undoubtedly know we called for reinforcements immediately after locating the fleet. What can the Emperor do to us without ground-to-space weapon systems or orbital platforms? We should wait for reinforcements. They will be here within the hour.”  
  
Luke shook his head. “I think it would be best that I take care of the Palpatine situation before my father arrives.”  
  
“Sir, your stubborn refusal to see reason is somewhat unusual. You have, in the past, displayed some nonsensical behaviors and each and every time I have discovered they were desperate attempts to obfuscate the truth.” Admiral Thrawn’s red eyes bore into Luke’s blue orbs. “Supreme Commander I cannot make informed decisions when you are obviously concealing relevant information from me. I will reiterate Commodore Vanto’s question and I hope you will answer truthfully this time. Why are you determined to go planetside before reinforcements arrive?”  
  
Luke threw his hands up in frustration. “I haven’t told my father about Palpatine yet. I fear what will happen when he finds out. Mara Jade is with my father.” Luke blew out a shuttered breath. “My father had already voiced his concern that Palpatine might have placed a subconscious command into Mara’s head. We have discovered one subliminal order already….” He trailed off before looking up at the hologram image of the Admiral, his eyes pleading. “I have two fears: one is Palpatine can resume control over Mara Jade and second, my father might do something to her to preemptively diffuse that danger.”  
  
Vanto’s eyes widened. “You mean kill her?”  
  
“No…he’d probably try to imprison her as a safety measure…but knowing Mara she would resist…and things could turn dangerous.”  
  
“Sir,” Thrawn began slowly. “It is my opinion that your father will not harm Miss Jade.”  
  
Luke’s brow furrowed. “How can you say that with any certainty?”  
  
The Admiral straightened his white uniform as he cleared his throat. “Because after your rescue from Myrkr and the subsequent capture of the former Emperor’s Hand…your father was very adamant that she was not to be harmed…very adamant. In fact, he appeared just as concerned for her welfare as yours. When I notified him that you two shared a room…his interest in your relationship was so intense that I immediately knew your connection with the Emperor was familial.”  
  
Luke let out a scoffing laugh. “I suspect you knew we were father and son at the onset. You probably figured out Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker were one-in-the-same as soon as you two came face-to-face.”  
  
A faint smile crossed the Grand Admiral’s lips. “I had my suspicions. The point is, everything the Emperor has said and done since Mara Jade arrived in your life has indicated that she is of great value to him. It is my belief the Emperor wants Miss Jade in your life. His motives are still unclear. Perhaps he believes she will be a suitable mate or effective bodyguard. Either way, I cannot see him hurting Miss Jade unless she attacks the Emperor.”  
  
Luke threw up his hands in exasperation. “Which she may do if Emperor Palpatine had implanted a suggestion to kill me or my father.”  
  
“Supreme Commander, you are determined to risk your life based on a string of assumptions. Contact your father and Mara Jade. If your fears are reasonable, I suspect Miss Jade would voluntarily isolate herself in a detention cell in an effort to prevent Palpatine from using her. If Emperor Palpatine is indeed alive, it would be better that Miss Jade and the Emperor are forewarned.”  
.  
.  
.  
  
 _Death Star II Mobile Battle Station_  
  
Darth Vader rang the entry bell to the dignitary quarters he assigned to Mara Jade. After a few moments she opened the door wearing a clean, borrowed flight suit and hair wet from a recent shower. She stared at the Emperor with a surprised expression on her face. “Ah…did we reach the Katana Fleet already?”  
  
“No, we will be there within the hour. We should arrive shortly after the 501st and 3rd Fleet rendezvous with the _Chimaera_ and _Redeemer_.”  
  
“Oh,” was all Mara said as she stood in the doorway for an awkward pause.  
  
Vader cleared his throat, making a deep booming sound. “May I come in?”  
  
Mara looked flustered as she moved away from the door entrance and gestured for the man to enter. “Of course, Emperor Vader.”  
  
She fiddled with her wet hair. “Sorry, I just came from the shower.”  
  
Vader nodded as he walked over and lowered himself on a cushioned seat in the sitting area. Mara, looking nervous, sat down on a couch across from the Dark Lord. “Can I help you with anything? You need more…advice about talking to Luke.”  
  
He sighed deeply. “I just received a message from my son.”  
  
“Oh, did you tell him about the Death Star and the Room of Mirrors?”  
  
“No, not yet. I didn’t want to get sidetracked. He thought I was aboard my flagship, the _Executor._ He asked for you, but I told him you were resting.”  
  
There was another pause. “What did he want? Is he alright?”  
  
Emperor Vader gazed at Mara. “He is worried about your safety. He said he senses the disturbance in the Force foretold by the Chiss Navigator. He believes Palpatine is on the planet that the Katana Fleet is currently in orbit above. He worries that the former Emperor might have placed a subliminal command in your mind. He suggested that you’d be confined for the good of the crew and yourself.”  
  
Mara looked at Vader dumbfounded. “How can this be? Is it a clone?”  
  
“Perhaps.”  
  
She fell silent before nodding her head. “If Luke thinks that is wise, I’ll go willingly.”  
  
“I doubt there is a detention facility that can hold a trained Force User. You could influence the guards and even if we surrounded you with droid security you could use the Force to short circuit them or tamper with the electronics of the field generator.”  
  
Mara’s posture stiffened. “Then what do you suggest?”  
  
“You stay by my side. I am confident that I could stop any danger you posed to me or the crew.”  
  
“By killing me if I did attack?”  
  
“That would be a last resort. My son needs you. Of that I am certain.”  
  
“And you also think I am carrying his child,” Mara said distantly.  
  
“Of that, I am _not_ certain. You could go to the Infirmary and take a pregnancy test.”  
  
“Is that an order?”  
  
He shook his head. “No.”  
  
“What are we going to do about Palpatine…or clone Palpatine?”  
  
“I will deal with him.” He rose from his seat and started to move toward the door. “It is my destiny.”  
  
“What should I do?”  
  
“Do not speak of Palpatine to others. He may still have a loyal following within the Empire." He turned back to her. "Notify me when your hair is dry, and I will come for you. We should exit hyperspace shortly. I want you near me in case Palpatine attempts to gain control over you.”  
  
She stood and stared at him in silence.  
  
“Do not worry,” Vader said. “I assured Luke I would protect you. I intend on keeping that promise.”  
  



	37. Chapter 37

Star Destroyer _Redeemer_  
  
Thrawn’s personal armada came out of hyperspace first and was quickly followed by the Third Fleet and a number of Emperor Vader’s 501st Legion ships. All together there were eight Imperial-Class Star Destroyers, four Victory-Class Star Destroyers, four Interdictor-class Star Destroyers, ten Carrack-Class Cruisers and two dozen Close Support Craft.  
  
Luke gazed out of the bridge viewport somewhat in awe at the massive fire power of which he was in command. It was at this time that he realized he wasn’t sure what his next move should be. They had come to find either an abandoned fleet or the Resistance outpost. Instead, they found a planet that was most likely infested with Sith and led by the clone of Darth Sidious. They were prepared to fight the Resistance, but now he was faced with a planet full of people that have yet to show any aggression towards him or his crew. It didn’t feel right to do a preemptive attack.  
  
“Your order’s, sir?” Commodore Vanto asked.  
  
Luke turned to his subordinate standing by his side. “We came here to commandeer ships. Until the population on the planet show aggression, we don’t attack…but ensure all ships are prepared for a fight. Shields up and weapon systems online. Get the shuttles ready to ferry our engineers over to the Katana Fleet. Have fighters escort them. I want two platoons of Stormtroopers to breech the Dreadnaught that we sensed lifeforms aboard. Try to take the prisoners alive and have them interrogated. We need more information about what is on the planet below. Also, inform Admiral Pellaeon that I want him to take his fleet to the far side of the planet. I don’t need any enemy ships launching from there to surprise us.”  
  
“Yes, Sir.” Vanto barked out orders to his crew and had Luke’s orders transmitted to the other ships.  
  
“Ensign Walker,” Luke addressed the ship’s communication’s officer. “Contact my father on the _Executor_. I want to make sure he doesn’t have contradictory orders.”  
  
The young lieutenant nodded before sending off the transmission. After a few seconds his hand when up to his earpiece before turning back to Luke. “Sir, the commander of the _Executor_ said Emperor Vader is not with them. He will be arriving shortly in a new flagship.”  
  
That caught Luke off guard. He didn’t know his father had commissioned a new flagship. He turned to Commodore Vanto. “Did you know anything about that?”  
  
Eli shrugged. “No Sir, maybe he wanted it to be a surprise.” Commodore Vanto suppressed a smirk. “Do you have a birthday coming up?”  
  
Luke scoffed under his breath.  
  
Ensign Walker called out, “Sir, would you like me to contact Coruscant Central Command inquiring on the proper frequency to contact the Emperor?”  
  
“No need. I was able to contact him earlier on his private frequency. I’ll get ahold of him shortly.”  
  
Luke watched as Admiral Pellaeon maneuvered his ships around the Katana Fleet and took positions at the rear of the planet. Thrawn was obviously giving orders of his own as various Star Destroyers were deployed to positions around the abandoned Dreadnaught Heavy Cruisers and planet. Luke recognized it as a precursor to a possible pincer maneuver if ships attacked from the planet below. Eventually, a group of breeching shuttles approached the cruisers. If they were lucky there would be little need for them. There was a distinct possibility that the magnetic shields that would normally prevent a ship from entering a docking bay without permission were now nonoperational. The bad thing about that was the crew would have to wear Enviro-suits until they could slice the airlocks and enter the interior corridors.  
  
Once the boarding crew entered the dreadnaught and secured the ship, the engineers would attempt to get the engines operational and fly them to the galaxy core. There, they would be refurbished and added to the Imperial Navy. Any ship not able to make the journey would be destroyed. Depending on the number of ships salvaged, Talon Karrde would most likely have a substantial finder’s fee coming to him.  
  
The shuttles were almost to the fleet when an uneasy sweat started to dampen Luke’s brow and the nerves started to dance in his stomach. He wasn’t sure what brought on this case of the chills, but he was sure something bad was about to happen. “Sensors!” he called out. “Do we have any incoming ships?”  
  
“Weapons scan is negative,” the Intercept Officer replied. “Visual, mass, radiation, and proximity sensors are also negative for enemy contact.”  
  
That should have allayed Luke’s fears but the tension in his body increased and he could feel the hair at the base of his neck raise on end. “Contact all ships. Tell them to proceed with extreme caution.”  
  
Commodore Vanto moved up to Luke’s side. “What is it, Sir?”  
  
Luke shook his head. “I feel…I think it is the Force…it is telling me something bad is going to happen.”  
  
Suddenly the bridge was bathed in a bright blue light and the ship shuttered violently knocking Commodore Vanto off his feet. Luke stabilized himself with the Force and halted Commodore Vanto’s fall. The man floated in midair for a second before Luke lowered him to the deck.  
  
Vanto was shaken but immediately started shouting at the crew. “What the hell hit us? What did we miss? That came from the planet! How the kriff did we miss a weapons system large enough to hit us?!”  
  
The Intercept Officer pushed buttons frantically before turning to Commodore Vanto with panic in his eyes. “Sir, it must have been an ion cannon. Our sensors are disabled.”  
  
“Ship-to-ship communications are also disabled,” another officer called out.  
  
“Shields down.”  
  
“Weapons malfunction.”  
  
Luke stood in disbelief as each bridge officer confirmed all systems hit by the bolt of light were down, including the ship engines. “What _is_ working?”  
  
“Ray shielded interior systems are still operational,” the Bridge Engineer called out. “Intercom systems, Life Support, Navigation computers, artificial gravity, and internal doors.” The man paused to listen to something on his earpiece. “Sir, I have been informed that the bay magnetic shields failed opening the area to vacuum. There are casualties.”  
  
“And we can’t contact the _Chimaera?_ ”  
  
The communication officer shook his head. “We have internal comms, but the exterior signal relay is not functioning.”  
  
“Kriff!” Luke walked over to the bridge’s large transparisteel windows. It was then he noticed the _Redeemer_ was not the only ship affected. Three other Star Destroyers, including the _Chimaera_ were dark and listing to the side. “There are at least four Star Destroyers hit!” He pointed to the ships in the distance as he turned and glared at the Intercept Officer. “How did our sensors miss a weapon’s system large enough to take out four of our ships at once?”  
  
The man looked terrified having never seen his Supreme Commander so angry. “I don’t know, Sir. Perhaps they have a cloaking device of unknown nature.”  
  
There was another brilliant flash in the distance. Luke turned and realized this was not a bolt from an ion cannon. This stream of energy was similar to cloud-to-cloud or chain lightning one would see in large thunderstorms and it was quickly disabling the other ships of the fleet.  
  
Eli moved next to Luke, his jaw slack with surprise. “That can’t be lightning.” He paused. “I know current can flow in a vacuum, but we wouldn’t be able to see it. There’re not enough electrons in a vacuum to ionize. Anyway, I’ve never seen lighting leave the atmosphere of a planet. This must be a new form of plasma cannon.”  
  
Luke shook his head dejectedly. “No, this is Force lightning. I’ve seen it. I’ve been hit by it before.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “This is coming from Palpatine.”  
  
Eli made a noise that started out as a scoff, but he quickly disguised it as a cough. “Sir, if you had been hit by something like what just hit us…I doubt there would be anything left of you. How could you and your father kill a man that can do what we are seeing?”  
  
Luke closed his eyes as he took a few slow calming breaths. “That planet is called Ixigul. It is a Sith bastion and probably a darkside nexus. Its population are Sith cultists. There is a chance that Palpatine is tapping into the power of the nexus or perhaps drawing power from the populace. With a million Sith to draw power from…this could be possible.”  
  
An idea came to Eli. “Sir, you once told me that your father deflected the Emperor’s Force lightning with his lightsaber. Was that true?”  
  
Luke rubbed a hand over his face in frustration. “Yes. Are you suggesting I get out on the hull of the ship and ward off the attack with my lightsaber?”  
  
Eli gave an irritated expression. “A lightsaber is a plasma blade. If a plasma blade could deflect Force lightning perhaps a plasma cannon can disrupt these attacks.”  
  
Luke nodded absently. “Yes, but our weapon systems are down.” He looked out at the ships in the distance as they one-by-one were hit by blue bolts of lightning. “And it looks like everybody else is in the same predicament.”  
  
“You sent the Third Fleet on the far side of the planet. Unless Palpatine can make the lightning move like a guided missile, there is a good chance they are still operational. We just need to get a message to them to attack using their plasma cannons. Then maybe they can do a space-to-ground bombardment.”  
  
“How do we contact them. Our ship-to-ship communications are down?”  
  
Eli thought about it. “Perhaps the Tie-Fighters tethered in the ventral bay were shielded enough to keep their thrusters and radios operational. The signal won’t be strong enough to get a message to them from here, but if they could move closer, they could communicate with Admiral Pellaeon’s ships. If we send one or two then they perhaps could go unnoticed by those on the planet.”  
  
“The bay is a vacuum, would a pilot in an enviro-suit fit in a TIE-Fighter?"  
  
Commodore Vanto thought about it for a moment. "We have a handful of TIE Advanced X1s. They are large enough."  
  
"That might work. Send two of your best pilots.” Luke turned to the communications officer. “Ensign Walker, does the Naval Academy still teach military flash code?”  
  
The man looked confused. “Yes sir, but that uses short burst transmissions, and our transmission relay is down.”  
  
“Yes, but it can be done with light. We have Hi-intensity searchlights on some of our Hull Repair Droids. See if any of the HRDs are functional and we’ll send the Grand Admiral a coded message using flashes code. Commodore Vanto will brief you of our plan. We may also be able to use the transmitters in our TIE-fighters to communicate with the TIE-Fighters on the other ships, that is if any are still functional.” He walked to the Ready Room. “Meanwhile I am going to try to contact the Emperor.”  
  
“But Sir,” Eli started to object. Luke turned and smiled weakly. “I have a way to contact my father without a transceiver. If I can contact him or Mara, then they could possibly relay a message to the Third Fleet in case our Tie-Fighters are unsuccessful.”  
  
A look of understanding crossed Vanto’s face. “Yes, Sir.”


	38. Chapter 38

**_Death Star II Mobile Battle Station_**  
  
Mara had finished drying her hair and notified Emperor Vader as he requested when she started to feel strange. There was a pressure behind her eyes that eventually got her left eye twitching. She was worried she was coming down with something when she heard a faint voice call out, _“Mara! Father! Can you hear me?”_  
  
It was Luke. She sat down and rubbed her fingers against her temples as she concentrated. _“Luke! I’m here!”_  
  
She felt the pressure ease and loosening of tension. She realized she was sensing Luke’s feeling of relief upon contacting her. _“Mara! Palpatine has attacked the fleet.”_ There was a pause or a break in concentration but eventually she heard the words. _“Force lightning….took out…entire fleet.”_  
  
She jumped when Emperor Vader stormed into her quarters unannounced. “Do you hear him?”  
  
She nodded and risked putting up a hand gesture for _‘quiet’_. _“Luke! Did you say Force Lightning?”_  
  
There was another longer pause. _“Stay away. Palpatine has attacked the fleet. I need you to communicate a message to Admiral Pellaeon’s ships.”_  
  
“What is he saying?” Vader burst out impatiently. “I only heard my name. I can’t make out what he is saying.”  
  
Mara glanced up at the Emperor. “Palpatine took out the fleet with Force lightning. Is that possible?”  
  
“What?”  
  
Mara heard Luke call out again. “Wait, Luke is talking again.” She concentrated and reached out with the Force, listening, straining to hear. She looked back to Emperor Vader. “Luke said Palpatine is on a Sith planet and is tapping into some dark energy. He is disabling most the fleet with Force lightning. There is a possibility that Admiral Pellaeon’s ships are still functional, but he can’t communicate with him. He wants us to relay a message for him to use plasma cannons on the planet.” Her eyes went wide. “Luke, wants us to stay away.”  
  
“That is _not_ going to happen,” Vader said firmly. “Never! Ask him for the coordinates of the planet. The exact coordinates.” He walked over to the room’s computer and pulled up a Celestial Coordinate System map allowing him to locate astronomical coordinates based on the galactic center. “If he can give you the coordinates input them here.”  
  
Mara acknowledged Vader with a nod before walking over and sitting in front of the computer. She called out to Luke for the location of the planet. After a minute she started typing a string of numbers.  
  
Vader started at the map for a second before ushering Mara out of her seat and taking over the keyboard. He punched in a second sequence of numbers and then digitally drew a line between the two. He pointed at the new coordinates he inputted. “Tell Luke we will be exiting hyperspace at this location. If possible, make sure the path between that location and the planet are clear of our ships. He may be able to use the Force to push them away.”  
  
Mara stared at Vader knowing what he was planning. “Should I tell him we are coming in the Death Star?”  
  
“If I can hear him then Palpatine might be able to hear him also. The Sith will know we are coming, but hopefully they will be unprepared to take out a battle station.”  
  
Mara nodded then closed her eyes and sent the information to Luke. Eventually her eyes fluttered open and she returned her gaze to Vader. “Luke is not happy we are coming. He realizes he can’t stop you, but wants to ensure we will send that message to Admiral Pellaeon.”  
  
“Tell him we will notify the Admiral. Advise him you have to limit communication in case Palpatine is listening in.” Vader stood and motioned for Mara to follow him. “Come with me. We are going to the bridge.”  
  
 ** _Star Destroyer Redeemer_**  
  
Luke broke contact with Mara Jade and let out a frustrated groan. He asked her and his father to avoid the area. He should have known there was no way they would abandon him. At least they could get a message to the Third Fleet. Maybe they had a chance to ending this problem before his father’s arrival.  
  
He strode out of the ready room and onto the bridge, calling out to Commodore Vanto. “Report.”  
  
Eli turned to face his Supreme Commander. “Sir, the TIE-Fighters have moved around the back of the planet. There is a good chance they were successful in contacting the Third Fleet. I have crewmembers checking the functionality of all the TIE fighter and Shuttle radios berthed within the ship and we have the hull repair droids ready to go outside to signal the other ships in the fleet. The vacuum in the bays has delayed operations. It is harder for the crewmembers to do function checks while in an Enviro-suit.”  
  
“I understand,” Luke acknowledged. “I was successful in contacting my father. He is on the way and plans to attack the planet probably as soon as he exits hyperspace. I checked the positions of the various ships and it looks like he will have a clear line of fire. I think with the Third Fleet softening the target with plasma cannons my father might have a chance at a successful planetary bombardment. We will…”  
  
Luke was interrupted by a blinding flash. He brought his arm up to shield his eyes as the _Redeemer_ was hit by another blast of Force lightning. The ship rocked violently as the lights flickered and the computer screens went dark. After a few seconds emergency power was restored, and the various stations rebooted.  
  
“I should have gone down and taken out Palpatine,” Luke muttered under his breath. He wondered if it was too late. They did have functioning TIE-Fighters. There was a chance that a ship of that size could slip Palpatine’s notice. He looked at his wristchrono and realized he didn’t have time. His father’s ship would be coming out of hyperspace before he would be able to fly to the planet’s surface. He had to standfast and pray for a miracle.  
  
 _ **Death Star II Mobile Battle Station**_  
  
Mara Jade had to run to keep up with Vader’s long strides. “Emperor Vader, if you blow up the planet with this station’s laser the explosion will take out all ships within the orbit…including your son. I know you want to kill Palpatine, but you have your people to consider.” She was fairly certain Emperor Vader didn’t give a flying kriff about his navy, but Luke was Vader’s legacy. He wouldn’t risk losing his son…unless…unless he really thought she was pregnant. Then perhaps he would settle for a grandchild as an heir. Was he going to risk killing everybody just to take out his former master? Should she try to stop him? A cold shiver ran down her spine when she realized the only way to stop Emperor Vader once he came to a decision was to kill him.  
  
Emperor Vader suddenly stopped and stared at her menacingly. “Mara Jade, you must learn to shield your thoughts better.”  
  
She gulped nervously and broke out in a cold sweat as she realized he sensed her treasonous musings. Vader had expressed concern that the former Emperor might have put a Force suggestion in her mind and now she gave him reason to believe it true. “Palpatine is not controlling me,” she said weakly, knowing it probably wouldn’t save her from his wrath.  
  
“Yes, I know. You are considering attacking me to safeguard Luke. You are willing to face certain death for him.”  
  
She wasn’t sure if that was a question or not, but she decided to answer truthfully. “Yes, I would do it to protect him.”  
  
He stared at her for a few more seconds before turning and continuing down the corridor. “Good.”  
  
She was flabbergasted by his response. She continued to follow him, determined to dissuade him from using the battle station to take out Palpatine. “I don’t understand.”  
  
Vader didn’t stop but glanced over in her direction. “Your concern for my son is admirable, but unwarranted. I do not intend on harming him or my Fleet. There are power settings on the laser. We can kill Palpatine while keeping the planet intact. There will not be fragmentation.”  
  
Mara was relieved to hear that, and shocked that Darth Vader thought her willingness to fight him to save Luke was a good thing. For the first time she considered that Vader truly loved his son and didn’t see him merely as a way of continuing the Skywalker name.  
  
They arrived at the Death Star’s bridge and Vader pointed to the communications station as he addressed Mara. “Use the communications station to send a message to the Third Fleet.” He turned and addressed a tall, dark haired, human male in an Admiral’s uniform. “Admiral Fel, power up the weapon systems. Place the superlaser at twenty percent and all other systems on full power.” He sat down in the Command Chair and tapped on a datapad built into the armrests. “I am inputting the coordinates for our target. We will fire the laser as soon as we exit hyperspace.”  
  
“Should we wait long enough to ensure our ships are not in the path of the shot before firing?” the Admiral asked with an accent Mara found peculiar. She recognized the obvious Corellian inflection but there was a modulation in his words that reminded her of the speech pattern of Admiral Thrawn and also Commodore Vanto. She suspected the Admiral spent time on Csilla before taking command of the battle station.  
  
“No need,” Vader replied. “My son will ensure the path of the laser is clear.”  
  
Mara truly hoped this was true. Vader put a lot of trust in his son, but she wasn’t sure any Force user could push a floundering Star Destroyer to safety if they were indeed between the Death Star and Palpatine.  
  
“Yes, Your Eminence,” the Admiral said before calling out orders to his crew.  
  
The communications officer vacated his seat allowing Mara to sit and compose orders to the Third Fleet indicating they should use plasma cannons to bombard the planetary location where the lighting attacks originated. She didn’t specify the reason, but she included a warning for them to stay clear of a particular section of space. She didn’t need any Star Destroyers flying into the path of the superlaser. She frowned when she didn’t get a response. There was a chance that the Third Fleet was taken out by Palpatine already or they were in the middle of a battle and too preoccupied to respond. She looked back to Emperor Vader as she stood and relinquished the seat back to the communications officer.  
  
She knew he told her to limit communication with Luke, but she desperately wanted to know that he was okay. She considered reaching out to him, but she feared Vader would hear her and she was already treading dangerously around the Dark Lord. She started to walk over to Darth Vader when the pressure behind her eyes returned, the same feeling she felt before she connected with Luke earlier. “Emperor Vader,” she called out. “I think Luke is trying to contact me.”  
  
Vader stood and closed the distance between them. “What is he saying?”  
  
Mara reached out in the Force readily, eager to touch Luke’s brilliant Force presence, but what touched her mind was evil and malignant.  
  
She drew in a sharp breath when she heard her former master’s familiar voice echoing through her head. _“My Hand return to me.”_  
  
Her eyes snapped up to Vader’s as she felt the blood drain from her face. Vader moved closer until he loomed over her, tall, dark and deadly. She feared what he would do when he realized Emperor Palpatine was trying to call her back to his service.  
  
“What did he say?” Vader repeated.  
  
She shook her head. “It’s not Luke.” She took a deep breath against the panic. “It’s Palpatine.”  
  
She flinched when Palpatine called out to her again, this time more demanding. _“Emperor’s Hand! Obey! Return to me!”_  
  
She pulled in a shuttering breath as she closed her eyes and tried to shield her thoughts and keep the Sith voice at bay. The shouting in her head became louder and nearly unbearable. She opened her eyes and looked up to Vader pleading. “Don’t let him control me again. I don’t want to hurt Luke.”  
  
“I won’t let him have you,” Vader boomed as he reached toward Mara.  
  
She wasn’t sure what was happening as her vision darkened and then suddenly went black.


End file.
